『Abstract
Water pollution from small rural industries is a serious problem
throughout China. Over half of all river sections monitored for
water quality are rated as being unsafe for human contact, and
this pollution is estimated to cost several per cent of GDP. While
China has some of the toughest environmental protection laws in
the world, the implementation of these laws in rural areas is
not effective. This paper explains the reasons for this implementation
gap. It argues that the factors that have underpinned the economic
success of rural industry are precisely the same factors that
cause water pollution from rural industry to remain such a serious
problem in China. This means that the control of rural water pollution
is not simply a technical problem of designing a more appropriate
governance system, or finding better policy instruments or more
funding. Instead, solutions lie in changes in the model that underpins
rural development in China.
Keywords: China; Water; Pollution; Rural industry; Transition』
1. Introduction
2. Rural industrialisation
3. Rural industry and the water crisis
4. The characteristics of rural industry
4.1. Small is not beautiful
4.2. Dispersion of rural industries
4.3. Administrative constraints
5. Institutional framework
6. Administrative transition
7. Conclusion
References