Environmental Regulation in China: Institutions, Enforcement, and Compliance

Even though China has created an administrative structure and regulatory programs to curb pollution, environmental quality has continued to deteriorate. Are polluters following the rules? And what factors affect the way regulators and polluters alike have responded to China’s environmental controls? This thoroughly documented study examines these central questions by analyzing compliance with environmental programs involving wastewater discharge standards, fees, and permits.

Xiaoying Ma is an environmental specialist with the Asian Development Bank in Manila. Leonard Ortolano is the UPS Foundation Professor of Civil Engineering at Stanford University.