The effect of environmental pollution on socio-political structures in the People´s Republic of China

Environmental pollution is one of the most pressing challenges, the People´s Republic of China (PRC) is currently facing. That is not merely because air and water pollution in the PRC pose a direct threat to the health of its about 1.5 billion citizens, but also due to its potential to result in serious political and economic consequences, such as disrupted urbanization, social unrest and political instability. Recognizing the urgency to act, a growing number of Chinese citizens have begun to engage in environmental activism on a public, individual and organizational level, resulting in the development of a non-governmental sphere. This increasing environmental activism can be seen as a breeding ground for further socio-political change, and possibly the emergence of a civil society. The ‘Western’ academic literature often describes a correlation between the development of a civil society and democratization (cf. Hsu 2010: 263). However, such traditional liberal conceptualizations...Show moreEnvironmental pollution is one of the most pressing challenges, the People´s Republic of China (PRC) is currently facing. That is not merely because air and water pollution in the PRC pose a direct threat to the health of its about 1.5 billion citizens, but also due to its potential to result in serious political and economic consequences, such as disrupted urbanization, social unrest and political instability. Recognizing the urgency to act, a growing number of Chinese citizens have begun to engage in environmental activism on a public, individual and organizational level, resulting in the development of a non-governmental sphere. This increasing environmental activism can be seen as a breeding ground for further socio-political change, and possibly the emergence of a civil society. The ‘Western’ academic literature often describes a correlation between the development of a civil society and democratization (cf. Hsu 2010: 263). However, such traditional liberal conceptualizations should be applied to the case of the PRC with caution. My thesis aims to find an appropriate framework to evaluate, to what extent the non-governmental sphere in the PRC can be regarded as a civil society. To do so, my thesis is going to answer the following research question: “How does environmental engagement impact the development of a Chinese civil society?”. My thesis is structured in such a manner that the following chapter (2) provides a literature review of the key concepts for analysis, covering environmental pollution, environmental engagement, and civil society. Moreover, I discuss relevant theoretical frameworks, and conceptualizations. The ensuing chapter (3) is divided into three sub-chapters. The first section, evaluates three examples of environmental participation in the PRC, which depict environmental engagement on three possible levels, namely the organizational, the public and the individual. The chosen selection of examples allows for a comprehensive overview of popular ways to engage in environmental activism in the PRC and sheds light on opportunities, and difficulties faced by the societal sector. The second section discusses the findings of the previous section, and examines what insights the case studies give into the nature of an emerging civil society in the PRC. The third section examines to what extent the societal sector of the PRC can be regarded as a civil society. The final chapter (4) presents conclusions drawn from the theory, and the case studies, assessing the impact of political participation on the emergence of a civil society. To obtain information for the sections of research and analysis, I am going to employ a variety of methods. The second chapter, discussing theoretical concepts, is mainly based on information drawn from the review of secondary sources. At times, also, primary sources were studied to support claims of the secondary literature. For the third chapter, analyzing case studies, discussing the findings, and assessing the nature of civil society in the PRC, both primary and secondary sources were reviewed. Used literature included primarily books and other academic publications, such as journal articles, and news items. A limitation to my research is that the thesis only uses English-language sources. Hence, it is essential to acknowledge that I have based my argumentation in this thesis on non-Chinese or translated documents. Therefore, the analytical section will pay regard to this limitation and seek to compensate this weakness with a critical analysis of the literature.Show less

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The effect of environmental pollution on socio-political structures in the People´s Republic of China