Facility Siting with Chinese Characteristics? An Inquiry into the Relationship between International Investors and Local Environmental NGOs
(2013)Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
- Abstract
- As China modernizes, its waste management capacities are put to a test. Faced by significant pressures to find a solution for growing municipal solid waste, China’s authorities have embraced waste incineration technology as a seemingly cost-efficient alternative to landfills. Against this push, significant societal opposition against the construction of waste incinerators has been mounting. Yet while some incinerators attract collective resistance, others do not. The Nangong Incinerator, planned for construction in Beijing’s Daxing district, has remained relatively free from controversy. Simultaneously, it is markedly different from other incinerators in the capital due to the involvement of an international investor. Based on an intrinsic... (More)
- As China modernizes, its waste management capacities are put to a test. Faced by significant pressures to find a solution for growing municipal solid waste, China’s authorities have embraced waste incineration technology as a seemingly cost-efficient alternative to landfills. Against this push, significant societal opposition against the construction of waste incinerators has been mounting. Yet while some incinerators attract collective resistance, others do not. The Nangong Incinerator, planned for construction in Beijing’s Daxing district, has remained relatively free from controversy. Simultaneously, it is markedly different from other incinerators in the capital due to the involvement of an international investor. Based on an intrinsic single case study, the present thesis investigates this puzzling phenomenon by examining the relationship between a group of local environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) and the German stateowned development bank Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau. In the course of the analysis, it is suggested that (1) the relation between international actors and local ENGOs is marked by initial optimism but deteriorates fast due to excessive expectations, (2) local ENGOs act as “policy entrepreneurs” in seeking to co-opt the international actor in the struggle for grander environmental concerns, (3) communication between the two parties represents a competition over narratives, and (4) while the relation between local ENGOs and international actors is complicated by limited action action, it has potential to be an axis of de-escalation in siting controversies. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/3990853
- author
- Benjamins, Malte Paolo
- supervisor
- organization
- year
- 2013
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- facility siting, environmental politics, Fragmented Authoritarianism, Nangong waste incinerator, China, NIMBY
- language
- English
- id
- 3990853
- date added to LUP
- 2013-08-21 10:27:42
- date last changed
- 2013-08-21 10:27:42
@misc{3990853,
abstract = {{As China modernizes, its waste management capacities are put to a test. Faced by significant pressures to find a solution for growing municipal solid waste, China’s authorities have embraced waste incineration technology as a seemingly cost-efficient alternative to landfills. Against this push, significant societal opposition against the construction of waste incinerators has been mounting. Yet while some incinerators attract collective resistance, others do not. The Nangong Incinerator, planned for construction in Beijing’s Daxing district, has remained relatively free from controversy. Simultaneously, it is markedly different from other incinerators in the capital due to the involvement of an international investor. Based on an intrinsic single case study, the present thesis investigates this puzzling phenomenon by examining the relationship between a group of local environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) and the German stateowned development bank Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau. In the course of the analysis, it is suggested that (1) the relation between international actors and local ENGOs is marked by initial optimism but deteriorates fast due to excessive expectations, (2) local ENGOs act as “policy entrepreneurs” in seeking to co-opt the international actor in the struggle for grander environmental concerns, (3) communication between the two parties represents a competition over narratives, and (4) while the relation between local ENGOs and international actors is complicated by limited action action, it has potential to be an axis of de-escalation in siting controversies.}},
author = {{Benjamins, Malte Paolo}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Facility Siting with Chinese Characteristics? An Inquiry into the Relationship between International Investors and Local Environmental NGOs}},
year = {{2013}},
}