Climate transformation through experimental governance: the case of the low-carbon city pilot program in China

A noticeable feature of China’s sustainability governance reform is the use of policy experimentation to incentivize localities to engage in policy innovations for sustainable development. In this chapter, we use the case of the Low-Carbon City Pilot Program (LCCP) to explore the process through which pilot cities were selected, the determinants of local engagement in the program, and subsequent nationwide policy transformation toward low-carbon development. Unlike spontaneous climate policy innovations in Western cities, the LCCP follows the ‘experiment under hierarchy’ model in which local cities were motivated by hierarchical priorities and preferences, horizontal competition, as well as local determinants such as capacity, leadership and stress. The LCCP reflects a concerted effort of central government and pioneering cities to inspire a nationwide priority shift toward low-carbon development as well as stronger commitment toward climate change mitigation among Chinese cities.