Making central-local relations work: Comparing America and China environmental governance systems

The challenge of making central requirements work at local levels is a common problem for environmental governance throughout the world.Countries can learn from one another’s approaches,but must understand the local con-text in which they are set.This paper compares the features of the China and US environmental governance systems that need be understood by those working between the systems.Key features include:(1)common values which shape the environmental governance choices in both countries,but which may have different practical meanings in each country;(2)America’s common law-based environmental governance system,and China’s civil law system,which involves plan(s)as well as law;(3)America’s Federal central-local system,and China’s unitary central local system.This paper con-cludes by suggesting areas in which further comparative understanding may be of value,including:(1)better under-standing of the role of plan and law in China’s governance system;(2)comparing the American Federal-state agreement system for implementation of environmental law with the China central-local system of target responsibility agreements for plan implementation;(3)improving understanding of nongovernmental resources needed to assure compliance with environmental laws and plans;(4)identifying institutions that can coordinate central-local and cross-border environmental governance.