The evolution of China's climate change policy: international and domestic political economy and a strategy for working with China

Lai, Hongyi

Abstract

For over a decade China has been the predominant carbon emitter in the global economy. It is thus imperative for us to understand the factors behind its climate change policy in the past decades. In the article, the author surveys the evolution of China's climate change policy during 1990-2021 and applies theories from international relations and international political economy to explain it. It is found that (neo-)realism/nationalism and liberalism, two main theories in the field, offer only a partial explanation of China's climate policy. The most effective theory is domestic sources. In particular, leadership power consolidation and a concern with economic growth seem to dictate China's climate policy. The findings point to the analytical utility of domestic political economy in accounting for climate stances of nation-states. Policy suggestions for external parties to interact with China on climate change are proposed.

Citation

Lai, H. (2021). The evolution of China's climate change policy: international and domestic political economy and a strategy for working with China. Journal of the British Academy, 9(10), 69-98. https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/009s10.069

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 16, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Nov 29, 2021
• Publication Date: Nov 29, 2021
• Deposit Date: Nov 23, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 1, 2022
• Journal: Journal of the British Academy
• Electronic ISSN: 2052–7217
• Publisher: British Academy
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 69-98
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/009s10.069
• Keywords: Climate change; public policy; China; domestic politics; international relations; international political economy
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/6785509
• Publisher URL: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/publishing/journal-british-academy/9s10/evolution-china-climate-change-policy/