CROSS-BORDER RESOURCE GOVERNANCE IN CHINA AND THE ROLE OF THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS: A THREE-PART CASE STUDY

Abstract

A growing body of studies has examined the Chinese approach towards the governance of cross-border resources. However, existing studies have primarily focused on the actions of either national governments or local communities, thus overlooking the role of subnational governments. To address this significant gap, the thesis investigates the role of Chinese subnational governments—with a focus on the provincial governments—in regional and global resource governance through three case studies. This research shows that Chinese provincial governments have played a key role in shaping the existence, forms, and transformation of the institutions of different resource systems. In addition, this thesis contributes to the study of ideational power in domestic politics and policymaking and provides empirical evidence to the ongoing debate on central-local relations in China.