IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i15p4068-d252369.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Network Analysis of Actors and Policy Keywords for Sustainable Environmental Governance: Focusing on Chinese Environmental Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Dan Zhang

    (School of International Business Management, Woosong University, 171, Dongdaejeon-ro, Dong-gu, Daejeon 34606, Korea
    Dan Zhang and Fan Fan are co-first authors.)

  • Fan Fan

    (School of International Business Management, Woosong University, 171, Dongdaejeon-ro, Dong-gu, Daejeon 34606, Korea
    Dan Zhang and Fan Fan are co-first authors.)

  • Sang Do Park

    (Department of Global Business, Konkuk University, 120, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea)

Abstract

Environmental issues are viewed as a serious problem with a complex network structure involving various stakeholders. Environmental governance is considered the most reasonable way to promote environmental policy, and it is an important mechanism contributing to the sustainable development of society. Through the network analysis of actor and policy keywords, this study demonstrated whether environmental governance policies are being pursued through the cooperation of various participants in China, the epicenter of global environmental issues. We collected text big data from 2001 to 2018 under the theme of “environmental policy” on the main online portal web in China. Through text mining, key actors and policy keywords were selected according to the timing of environmental policy promotion, and network analysis and core-periphery analysis were conducted based on this actor/keywords data set. The results of this study are as follows. First, China’s environmental policy is a rudimentary governance cooperation structure, and the central and local governments are still the main policy-promoting actors. Second, the fundamental solution of the environmental problem through readjustment of the environment-related system and industrial restructuring has become the keyword for China’s implementation of environmental policy at present. Third, there were certain words, such as social, public, enterprise, and institution, in the aspects of environmental governance, while these words failed to be at the center of multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analysis for the actors. This result shows that environmental governance and network are still at an early stage and that the Chinese government’s strong power lies in its environmental policy. Based on these results, policy recommendations are presented.

Suggested Citation

  • Dan Zhang & Fan Fan & Sang Do Park, 2019. "Network Analysis of Actors and Policy Keywords for Sustainable Environmental Governance: Focusing on Chinese Environmental Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-29, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:15:p:4068-:d:252369
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/15/4068/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/15/4068/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vatn, Arild, 2018. "Environmental Governance – From Public to Private?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 170-177.
    2. Fergus Green & Nicholas Stern, 2017. "China's changing economy: implications for its carbon dioxide emissions," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 423-442, May.
    3. Sang-Do Park, 2018. "The Nexus of FDI, R&D, and Human Capital on Chinese Sustainable Development: Evidence from a Two-Step Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-23, June.
    4. Garard, Jennifer & Kowarsch, Martin, 2017. "If at first you don’t succeed: Evaluating stakeholder engagement in global environmental assessments," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 235-243.
    5. Vainio, Annukka & Paloniemi, Riikka, 2014. "The complex role of attitudes toward science in pro-environmental consumption in the Nordic countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 18-27.
    6. Judith M. Dean & Mary E. Lovely & Hua Wang, 2017. "Are foreign investors attracted to weak environmental regulations? Evaluating the evidence from China," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Mary E Lovely (ed.), International Economic Integration and Domestic Performance, chapter 9, pages 155-167, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    7. Mark Beeson, 2018. "Coming to Terms with the Authoritarian Alternative: The Implications and Motivations of China's Environmental Policies," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(1), pages 34-46, January.
    8. Rui Mu, 2018. "Bounded Rationality in the Developmental Trajectory of Environmental Target Policy in China, 1972–2016," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, January.
    9. Cook, Nathan J. & Wright, Glenn D. & Andersson, Krister P., 2017. "Local Politics of Forest Governance: Why NGO Support Can Reduce Local Government Responsiveness," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 203-214.
    10. Wu, Haoyi & Guo, Huanxiu & Zhang, Bing & Bu, Maoliang, 2017. "Westward movement of new polluting firms in China: Pollution reduction mandates and location choice," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 119-138.
    11. Bongsuk Sung & Sang-Do Park, 2018. "Who Drives the Transition to a Renewable-Energy Economy? Multi-Actor Perspective on Social Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-32, February.
    12. Shan, Yuli & Liu, Jianghua & Liu, Zhu & Xu, Xinwanghao & Shao, Shuai & Wang, Peng & Guan, Dabo, 2016. "New provincial CO2 emission inventories in China based on apparent energy consumption data and updated emission factors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 742-750.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Samuel Zanferdini Oliva & Livia Oliveira-Ciabati & Denise Gazotto Dezembro & Mário Sérgio Adolfi Júnior & Maísa Carvalho Silva & Hugo Cesar Pessotti & Juliana Tarossi Pollettini, 2021. "Text structuring methods based on complex network: a systematic review," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(2), pages 1471-1493, February.
    2. Wang, Jing, 2021. "Research on sustainable evolution of China's cloud manufacturing policies," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    3. Ying Lu & Sang Do Park, 2022. "Time Series Analysis of Policy Discourse on Green Consumption in China: Text Mining and Network Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Yongliang Yang & Liwen Shen & Yuwen Li & Yi Li, 2022. "The Impact of Environmental Information Disclosure on Environmental Governance Satisfaction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-21, June.
    5. Sang Do Park, 2022. "Policy Discourse Among the Chinese Public on Initiatives for Cultural and Creative Industries: Text Mining Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, March.
    6. Jiangmin Yang & Desheng Xue & Gengzhi Huang, 2020. "The Changing Factors Affecting Local Environmental Governance in China: Evidence from a Study of Prefecture-Level Cities in Guangdong Province," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-17, May.
    7. Konstantinos G. Papaspyropoulos & Harikleia Liakou & Panayotis Dimopoulos, 2023. "Climate Change in the Biodiversity and Forest Strategies in Greece Using Discourse Analysis and Text Mining: Is an Integration into a Cost-Efficient Natural Resources Policy Feasible?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-12, April.
    8. Binbin Yang & Sang-Do Park, 2023. "Who Drives Carbon Neutrality in China? Text Mining and Network Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-24, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhuang Miao & Tomas Baležentis & Zhihua Tian & Shuai Shao & Yong Geng & Rui Wu, 2019. "Environmental Performance and Regulation Effect of China’s Atmospheric Pollutant Emissions: Evidence from “Three Regions and Ten Urban Agglomerations”," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(1), pages 211-242, September.
    2. Yanyun Li & Faqin Lin & Wenxiao Wang, 2022. "Environmental regulation and inward foreign direct investment: Evidence from the eleventh Five‐Year Plan in China," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 684-707, July.
    3. Shiyu Bo, 2021. "Environmental Regulations, Political Incentives and Local Economic Activities: Evidence from China," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 83(3), pages 812-835, June.
    4. Yinhao Wu & Shumin Yu & Xiangdong Duan, 2021. "The Impact of Environmental Regulation on the Location of Pollution-Intensive Industries in China under Agglomeration Effect," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-14, April.
    5. Liu, Mengdi & Tan, Ruipeng & Zhang, Bing, 2021. "The costs of “blue sky”: Environmental regulation, technology upgrading, and labor demand in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    6. Chen, Zhao & Kahn, Matthew E. & Liu, Yu & Wang, Zhi, 2018. "The consequences of spatially differentiated water pollution regulation in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 468-485.
    7. Zhou, Kuo & Qu, Zhi & Wei, Zhixuan & Zhao, Jiyang, 2023. "Does government fiscal pressure matter for firm environmental performance? The role of environmental regulation and tax competition," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1187-1204.
    8. Yongyi Cheng & Liheng Lu & Tianyuan Shao & Manhong Shen & Laiqun Jin, 2018. "Decomposition Analysis of Factors Affecting Changes in Industrial Wastewater Emission Intensity in China: Based on a SSBM-GMI Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-23, December.
    9. Mengdi Liu & Bing Zhang & Qiang Geng, 2018. "Corporate pollution control strategies and labor demand: evidence from China’s manufacturing sector," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 298-326, June.
    10. Li Wang & Jie Pei & Jing Geng & Zheng Niu, 2019. "Tracking the Spatial–Temporal Evolution of Carbon Emissions in China from 1999 to 2015: A Land Use Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-27, August.
    11. Mingquan Li & Qi Wang, 2020. "Does industrial relocation alleviate environmental pollution? A mathematical economics analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 4673-4698, June.
    12. Xu, Yuan & Wu, Yanrui & Shi, Yongli, 2021. "Emission reduction and foreign direct investment nexus in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    13. Bingjie Xu & Ruoyu Zhong & Yifeng Liu, 2019. "Comparison of CO 2 emissions reduction efficiency of household fuel consumption in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-13, February.
    14. Li, Hao & Guo, Huanxiu, 2021. "Spatial spillovers of pollution via high-speed rail network in China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 138-152.
    15. Shi, Beibei & Jiang, Lisha & Bao, Rui & Zhang, Ziqing & Kang, YuanQi, 2023. "The impact of insurance on pollution emissions: Evidence from China's environmental pollution liability insurance," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    16. Zheng, Shiming & Yao, Rongrong & Zou, Ke, 2022. "Provincial environmental inequality in China: Measurement, influence, and policy instrument choice," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    17. Xuecheng Wang & Xu Tang & Baosheng Zhang & Benjamin C. McLellan & Yang Lv, 2018. "Provincial Carbon Emissions Reduction Allocation Plan in China Based on Consumption Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-23, April.
    18. Bo Wang & Sang Do Park & Jong Youl Lee & Jesse W. Campbell, 2020. "Smart, Sustainable and Citizen Centered: A Network Analysis of Urban R&D Trends in Seoul, South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, July.
    19. Cheng, Yuanyuan & Du, Kerui & Yao, Xin, 2024. "Restructuring and relocation of polluting industries under air pollution control: Evidence from industrial investment flows between Chinese cities," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    20. Mei Ren & Caihong Huang & Xiaomin Wang & Wei Hu & Wenxin Zhang, 2019. "Research on the Distribution of Pollution-Intensive Industries and Their Spatial Effects in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-20, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:15:p:4068-:d:252369. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.