ABSTRACT
In the last three decades, China has adopted a legalistic approach to environmental protection and pollution control, trying to curb the negative side-effects of its tremendous economic growth. It has introduced and continually improved a system of environmental laws and regulations at both the national and the local levels (Alford and Liebman, 2001; Palmer, 1998; Van Rooij, 2006b). During this time China has gradually established and strengthened a structure of national and local state institutions tasked to implement and enforce these environmental regulations (Jahiel, 1998; Ma and Ortolano, 2000; Sinkule and Ortolano, 1995).
