Embedded governance in China’s screen culture industry: from infiltration to co-optation

The advent of the Internet and social media has decentralised authority over networking, and national government faces not only the challenge of the vast volume of communication flows but also the increasing decision-making and governance power over the Internet by private companies and civil society organizations, which constitute a new locus of authority. How has national government engaged with those non-state actors in Internet governance? This chapter incorporates the network governance approach in examining the patterns of private-state-civil collaboration in governance of the Internet in China. Network governance approach is characterised by its encouragement of consultation and coordination as a way of pre-empting conflicts or to solve problems and of binding unofficial and organic social actors together not through legal procedures but social ties. Analytically, this chapter treats the “The Beijing District Joint Anti Online Rumor Platform (BJARP)” governance network as the unit of analysis and as a positive mechanism of coordination in response to societal and technological progress and to failures of market, and failure of hierarchical coordination in refuting rumours. It concludes that in order to have a better and impartial understanding of the complex relationships between the state and society in Internet governance in contemporary China, researchers not only need to examine the roles of state and party and their policies and regulations, but also need to conduct empirical researches about the roles of social organisations and private actors in the processes of governance and policy-making. This chapter has made significant efforts in filling up this gap and contributing to a better understanding of Internet governance in China with its empirical research and critical analysis.

Due to increased climate uncertainty, political instability and economic turbulence, many interstate river basins are in the midst of transforming their water governance strategies to embrace the aforementioned challenges. A prerequisite of achieving such transformation is to understand various types of rules that build the water governance structure of the river basins. Therefore, we demonstrate an institutional analysis approach that combines the institutional grammar and the institutional analysis and development framework’s rule typology to identify the various type of formal rules regulating the water resources in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). The institutional feature and key actors of the basin’s water governance structure under different water governance situations are also explored. The approach is built on an institutional content analysis tool named institutional grammar and the institutional analysis and development framework’s rule typology. Using the approach, we dissect the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement of Australian Government’s Water Act 2007 to generate data for institutional analysis and subsequently, identifying the number and types of rules that form MDB’s water governance structure. We identify that MDB’s water governance structure stresses on choice rules and information rules that regulate actors’ choice of actions and the flow of information. Nevertheless, there are rules that only present in certain water governance situations, which indicating its institutional features. For instance, the position rules that create the basin’s water resource administrative units are found only in the action situation of administration. The scope rules that delineate the physical outcome to be produced are found dominating the action situations of water resource appropriation. The co-thinking type of aggregation rules that control the requirement of stakeholder consultation are mostly found in the situation of basin planning. In conclusion, the proposed approach able to generate the quantitative and qualitative information that can be used to analyze the complex structure of water resource governance in a river basin. Therefore, the research contributes to the development of a systematic water institution analysis tool.

United front work was the most powerful strategy during the Chinese communist revolution. According to PRC's official definition, it means to pick out friends from the enemy side after carefully analyzing the objective. A successful united front helps CCP become stronger and defeat the most prior and important enemy and then the rest. It's true as we look back at the history of Chinese communist revolution. The unitd front work has also been frequently used since 1949 when the regime was established. However no policy is without limitation. Different ”United Front Work” strategies are needed with regard to different purposes, timing and situations. Have Chinese authority developed different united front strategies to settle new problems? This article tries to examine, through documents of the national united front conference and essays from concerned symposiums, the difference between the strategies during the revolutionary period and those in peace time. After the communist government adopted the reform and opening-up policy, it tried to found the united front work as a science. Conferences are held annually to discuss the united front work from practice to theory. But until now, it's just propaganda, based on the content of official and unofficial publications. Further more most of the conferences or symposiums are no more than official routine work. Scholars in mainland China who study the united front policy can only follow one approach to prove its righteousness, which is to follow the line of Marx-Leninism or to quote remarks from Chinese leadership. Taiwan is concerned about the united front work. Scholars here should find easily its weakness. However old paradigms, based on the experiences during the 1945-1949 civil war, are still regarded as golden rules by Taiwanese researchers who tend to exaggerate the effect of United front work. But they also use the old paradigm of following the KMT's failed experiment during the civil war from 1945 to 1949. So the R.O.C government adopted the ”Three-Nos” policy and the ”Be Patient and Withhold” policy for a long time. Now anybody without prejudice knows that is a lost policy. China has now transformed from a closed society to a semiopen one. Taiwan needs not be afraid of the united front work. Contrarily, it needs an engagement policy and its own version of united front work to turn China from an authoritarian regime to a democratic one in order to stabilize the situation in Asia.

Correction to: Transforming Urban Green Space Governance in China Under Ecological Civilization: An Institutional Analysis

Transforming Urban Green Space Governance in China Under Ecological Civilization: An Institutional Analysis

Water resource management is a crucial issue in the rapidly urbanizing Pearl River Delta. Numerous studies have examined transboundary water management, but those focusing on Hong Kong are largely technical, with little consideration for political dynamics or collaboration. This study’s contribution is a systematic analysis of water governance in China’s ‘one country–two systems’ setting. Through interviews and historical analysis, the study applies Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development framework to a setting with political complexity and environmental vulnerability. The principal finding is that cooperation on supply infrastructure reflects a regional interdependence that builds the multiparty trust needed for more strategic governance.

Liquid biofuel from oil crops are broadly promoted globally, among which biofuel from perennial wood species, as well as from bushes and small trees such as jatropha. In China, oil-bearing small trees, which mainly grow on slope land, are applied as so-called bioenergy and oil forests for liquid biofuel production. The national government in China has devised a series of laws and policies to promote bioenergy and oil forest programs. In this study, the focus is on jatropha and camellia programs. Similar as other afforestation programs, bioenergy and oil forest programs may face similar institutional problems in their implementation. In addition, China experienced decentralization in forestry sectors. In investigating the institutional problems China faces in implementing bioenergy and oil forestry programs, this research concentrates on the role of three institutions: property rights, the governance structure and farmer incentives. The general objective of this research is to investigate how these three institutions impact on the implementation of large-scale bioenergy and oil forestry programs, and whether and how these institutions enable, constrain and condition farmers’ participation in these programs. Both qualitative institutional analyses and quantitative econometric analyses are employed, based on empirical fieldwork in China. The study has led to a number of interesting insights related to each of the three institutional aspects. First, good governance, which includes stakeholder participation, plays a crucial role in the success of large-scale forestry programs. As forestry entails a long-term investment, how to set-up good and sustainable governance architecture is very important, but also challenging. The research shows that large-scale bioenergy and oil forestry programs in China are moving from government-organized, centralized, top-down governance architectures to multi-level and multi-actor governance arrangements, which involve market-based mechanisms and private actors such as private companies, NGOs, international agencies, communities and individual farmers. Large bioenergy and oil forestry programs in China can be distinguished as those driven and implemented by the government and those driven and implemented by market arrangements. As such, this structure confirms that new roles and interaction patterns between government and markets are present in contemporary transitional China. Another finding is that jatropha’s failure in China can be attributed to the institutional environment, such as poor implementation and enforcement of monitoring and sanctioning rules. Rules to prevent the withdrawal of a company and executing such rules are crucial to keep companies committed. Finally, convergent “time perspectives” of different actors in forestry institutional arrangements is important in the success of large-scale forestry programs. The second set of results relates to the role of property rights and property rights reform. Since 2003, there is a new trend of devolution in forest tenure in China. Five different forest tenure regimes have been identified in this research: Collective, Collective-Individual, Company, Partnership, and Individual. The study indicates that the devolution process in tenure reform redistributed the user rights to local stakeholders. It also confirms that the de-collectivization process and the tenure reform have resulted in a diversification of management forms. Based on the New Property Rights Theory, it is hypothesized that the five forest tenure regimes differ in terms of residual control and income rights, implying different degrees of tenure security for farm households. The research findings confirm that in general tenure regimes with higher degrees of tenure security trigger higher household investment. Furthermore, the risk of future expropriation negatively affects farmers’ participation in forestry projects. Finally, the study addresses the question of farmer incentives and benefits. For large-scale forestry projects engaging smallholders in forestry is vital for the success of the project, with respect to a balanced socio-economic development in poor rural areas and guaranteed long-term success. Forestry development potentially improves the livelihoods of famers by increasing their income, and poverty alleviation has always been an important objective of bioenergy and oil forestry programs. Although these programs often provide financial support and technical services, some farmers are still not able to join. For instance, the participation rate of farmers in the camellia program was only 37%. Moreover, the participation level varied among counties and villages, because farmers’ participation is still constrained by their capacity in terms of wealth, labour endowment and education. Finally, forestry programs generate different benefit distribution impacts on farm households under different forest project implementation regimes. Results show that five implementation regimes of camellia plantations can be distinguished, i.e. Individual, Partnership, Collective-Individual, Collective, Company, each having their own specifics of project access and benefit distribution among smallholders. Collective-individual, Collective, and Company forest implementation regimes perform better in terms of program access and equal benefit distribution than Individual and Partnership regimes. But also for the former three regimes, village leaders and companies may seize substantial project benefit reducing the benefits to and marginal smallholders.

Information technologies are one of the key drivers of socio-economic development and digital transformation, playing an essential role in enhancing the competitiveness of national economies. Ukraine, due to its high level of technological expertise and integration into global digital service markets, is a significant player in the international IT sector. In the context of macroeconomic instability and threats associated with war, there is an increasing need for a comprehensive analysis of the institutional factors influencing the development of the industry. The purpose of this article is to conduct an institutional and economic analysis of the functioning of Ukraine's IT industry using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, which enables the assessment of interaction mechanisms between government bodies, businesses, investors, educational institutions, and professional communities. The study identifies the key exogenous variables shaping the market environment, including legal regulation, financial support instruments, the level of digital infrastructure, international integration, and human capital potential. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the interconnections between the key stakeholders in Ukraine's IT sector. The structure of regulatory, financial, educational, and social ties between public institutions, private businesses, investors, educational institutions, and professional communities is detailed. It is established that the effectiveness of these interactions is a critical factor for the sustainable development of the IT sector. The authors have adapted the IAD framework to the specifics of Ukraine’s IT industry, providing a systematic assessment of how institutional changes affect the competitiveness of the sector. The practical significance of the results lies in the development of recommendations aimed at improving the regulatory environment, stimulating investment, modernizing educational programs, expanding public-private partnerships, and strengthening international cooperation. The proposed development strategies will contribute to increasing the innovation potential and global integration of Ukraine's IT industry in the context of digital transformation and global economic challenges.

United front has always been an important line of work of the Party and an important magic weapon for the Party to unite the people and lead them to victory in the revolutionary war and advance the construction, reform and development of new China. With the development of different historical periods, the party’s united front theory has been constantly enriched and perfected. Big data analysis shows that entering a new era, the realization of the “two centenary goals” and the Chinese Dream requires further consolidation and development of the united front, and the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping as its core has also made a series of new strategic arrangements for the united front work, and the Party’s united front theory has gained new development in the new era. United front work has always been an important work of the party. Consolidating and developing the broadest united front have always been an important line of the party’s policy. The united front theory of the Party, based on the basic principles of Marxism, was founded in the Second Sino-Japanese War period in combination with China’s revolutionary practice. It’s gradually enriched and developed in combination with the different practices and tasks of each historical period. It has become an important ideological guide for the Party to lead the people to win revolutionary victory, speed up the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics, unite the people of all ethnic groups and lead them to realize the Chinese dream of great rejuvenation[1-2].

Integrating institutional and implementation issues into policy decisions - an introduction and overview, Derick W. Brinkerhoff. Part 1 Policy analysis and the new institutionalism analyzing policy reform and reforming policy analysis - an institutionalist approach, Ronald J. Oakerson and S. Tjip Walker the institutional analysis and development framework - application to irrigation policy in Nepal, Wai Fung Lam et al an institutional analysis of local-level common pool woodstock governance and management - implications for environmental policy, James T. Thomson analyzing bureaucracy and rural development policy implementation - the limits of hierarchy, Norman K. Nicholson. Part 2 Policy analysis and implementation frameworks: a comparative approach to the assessment of decentralization policy in Developing Countries, Richard Vengroff and Ogwo Jombo Umeh analyzing the role of the public sector in Africa - implications for civil service reform policies, Jerry M. Silverman sustainability assessment for agriculture policies - comparative cases from agricultural extension, Daniel J. Gustafson an analytic framework for policy implementation - assessing progress with Madagascar's national environmental action plan, Derick W. Brinkerhoff exporting policy paradigms - the case of Chinese forestry, Peter deLeon and Vicki L. Spencer. Part 3 Policy analysis and implementation tools: stakeholder analysis and political mapping - tools for successfully implementing policy reforms, Benjamin L. Crosby interactive policy analysis - process methods for policy reform, Louise G. White analytic approaches to reducing the costs of corruption - West African livestock marketing and trade policy, John S. Holtzman and Nicholas P. Kulibaba climbing the objective tree - policy analysis and reform in the Philippines, Alice L. Morton.

China is a rising power on the world stage with growing economic and political influence. This influence is particularly felt in Australia and in New Zealand. United Front work is a key aspect of Chinese political influence abroad, particularly after Chinese president Xi Jinping’s rise to power. United Front work is difficult to track, and a survey over all countries is extremely challenging, but Chinese economic influence in each and every country can be measured easily using readily available trade and investment data. This paper finds a significant correlation between the economic influence of China and United Front work. It also highlights particular economic influence indicators that can predict particular United Front influence indicators. The paper thus provides a way to systematically predict United Front influence in many countries by analyzing commodity trade and Chinese investment data. More research can be done, however, in broadening the scope of this project and in improving data quality.

The availability of and demand for water in China is an extreme case of uneven distribution in time and space. In response, the South to North Water Diversion (SNWD) project, the largest inter-basin water transfer scheme in the world, channels large amounts of fresh water from the Yangtze River in southern China to the more arid and industrialised north. In order to keep the SNWD project running smoothly, a comprehensive governance system has been implemented and innovative institutional arrangements have been created to facilitate the transfer of water itself. By taking the SNWD project’s Middle Route as one case study and drawing on primary and secondary data, this article examines the project’s emerging institutional arrangements. The article outlines the establishment of new institutions for the SNWD project with high administrative rankings at both central and local levels, the encouragement of inter-department cooperation, the adoption of a market mechanism and the integration of market functions into administrative functions. We argue that these institutional arrangements have to some extent overcome common challenges in water governance in China, including an engineering-heavy approach and what Chinese commentators have traditionally called the problem of water being managed by multiple government ministries and municipal authorities as the common metaphor of ‘nine dragons managing the water’. Our findings have significant implications for understanding the continuing evolution of water governance in China.

As Chinese economy has become one of the world’s economic powerhouse, research on guanxi, social or business ties in China, has been gaining ground in business research. The study is couched in the theoretical framework of social embeddedness in which the flows of information, resources, and opportunities occur across recognized members of a social network to create mutual benefits. This study empirically tests the major impetus for Taiwanese small to medium sized firms (SMEs) to utilize guanxi networks with business community, local governments, and the central government in China. The study results indicate the extent to which Tawanese firms utilize different types of guanxi differ by firm characteristics (i.e., resources, capabilities, and entry mode) and market factors (i.e., market stability and competition).

This paper discusses the role and importance of social networks in the migration process. It explores the formation of social networks among the Kuki migrants in Delhi. Drawing insights from the theoretical and conceptual literature on social networks and based on field observations and personal narratives of migrants, the study analyses the importance of social networks for migrants and explains how social networks help the migrants cope with a new social environment. The Kuki migrants have been classified into two categories, namely ‘pioneer’ and ‘follower’ migrants. While pioneer Kuki migrants hardly had any ties and merely depended on ‘weak ties’, it was follower migrants who took the benefits of ethnic and kinship networks. The study conclusively found that social networks have been instrumental though various pull factors at the place of destination and push factors at the place of origin have contributed for Kuki migration to Delhi. The migrants have formed ethnic clusters, which have turned out to be a survival strategy in a new social milieu. The social networks not only have helped migrants to deal with challenges and constraints in an alien environment but also instilled a sense of confidence in them to overcome psychological stress and isolation.

Media governance may influence the ideas and values that circulate within a culture, shaping cross-cultural understanding. The present study compares Chinese and U.S. media governance systems and their effects on cultural communication. Using secondary research and qualitative content analysis, the study examines selected films and television dramas from each country. The findings suggest that the two countries demonstrate convergences and divergences in media governance frameworks. While Chinas media governance, exhibiting varying degrees across different domains, may proactively construct and disseminate specific narratives, U.S. media governance, operating through constitutional protections and private sector self-regulation, may incorporate a variety of narratives. The findings contribute to media and communication scholarship by clarifying how policy shapes the ideas and values conveyed in media and thus influences cultural understanding.