Abstract: How has environmental politics in China been reconfigured in recent years? Drawing on my research over the past decade, this lecture examines the evolving relationship between environmental governance, state capacity, and civic participation. It first considers how ecological civilization, stronger environmental legislation, central inspections, and vertical accountability have transformed China’s environmental state. It then explores how environmental actors have adapted to the changing institutional and political environment through hybrid participation, professional policy advocacy, public-interest litigation, digital evidence production, citizen monitoring, and sustainable lifestyle initiatives. The talk examines how state regulation and civic participation have evolved in relation to one another: stronger state capacity has created selected channels for participation while also reshaping the organizational foundations, public visibility, and political boundaries of environmental engagement.
Jian Lu is an Associate Professor in the School of Political Science and Public Administration at China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing. A political sociologist by training, he uses mixed methods to examine state–society relations in China’s environmental and social governance. His current research explores how interactions among the state, market actors, interest groups, and NGOs shape policymaking and collective action, with particular attention to climate governance and the new-energy sector.