Date Thesis Awarded

7-2010

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Arts (BA)

Department

Interdisciplinary Studies

Advisor

Tun-jen Cheng

Committee Members

Daniel A. Cristol

Kemi George

Abstract

China's large population and size has resulted in challenges in environmental protection, including corruption. Thus, in attempt to provide consistency, China recently elevated its environmental bureaucracy to the ministerial level (MEP). This paper analyzes three areas that potentially provide evidence about the motivation for the bureaucratic reform: 1) social pressure, 2) economic growth, and 3) financial investments. The paper finds that the government responded to areas with high population density, which is a proxy for social pressure. Furthermore, China's economic growth has expanded the middle class, and in turn, the number of people educated and aware concerning the environment. The last government stimulant on environmental protection is financial investments. The growth in total investment in the treatment of pollution is not only indicative of internal priorities, but this also incorporates the international influences. Moreover, the paper outlines the key events in Chinese environmental history that further indicated the promotion. In conclusion, the paper provides an understanding of the MEP's potential success.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Comments

Thesis is part of Honors ETD pilot project, 2008-2013. Migrated from Dspace in 2016.

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