ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the waste classification advocacy on central and local governments’ official WeChat accounts of the central and local governments, finding that it is very different from traditional policy propaganda methods. The environmental advocacy of the two levels of government in social media breaks through the “command–control” model, and implements clear strategic focus, as well as mutually reinforcing functions. The central government presents problems and launches issue debate through social media, while local governments obtain positive advocacy effects by focusing on the local living environment, cultivating trend setters, and using promotions. As a result, social media provides a flexible and effective advocacy channel for governments at all levels, helping to solve structural problems in the central–local “principal–agent” relationship.
