Climate Policy and Politics in China

This course explores the political dynamics that shape climate policy development and implementation in China. Politics is about power. Therefore, the course is focused on the governing structures through which actors inside and outside of the government attempt to gain, wield, and challenge power on climate policymaking. We explore theories and analytical frameworks from political science, public policy, and Chinese studies. We use these theoretical and analytical lenses to analyze ongoing and historical climate policy cases. This course helps students understand the institutions and key actors that influence climate policymaking and apply this knowledge to current cases. The first unit of the course focuses on the ideas of environmental issues. It explores the concepts behind climate politics, the economic and social factors that influence Chinese views about climate issues, and the governing systems that shape the distribution of resources and power in the climate policymaking process. The second unit examines the key actors and institutions involved in climate policymaking. It investigates how institutional incentives and governing structures shape key actors' involvement in the climate policy process. The third unit focuses on non-state actors, including environmental non-governmental organizations, expert communities, and international organizations. It examines the opportunities and challenges that non-state actors have encountered in the climate policymaking process. Each class begins with a discussion of the conceptual frameworks, which are then applied to explain ongoing cases, including those related to climate change. The goal of the discussions is to understand how theoretical and analytical frameworks can apply to case studies and how to choose a feasible framework to understand the political dynamics of Chinese climate policymaking and China's climate ambitions internationally and domestically.