ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by highlighting some of the insights from the case studies that draw the relationship together. In so doing, the conceptual framework proposed is refined and developed by stressing the importance of shared responsibility. This social dimension tends to be underestimated by scholars and practitioners alike but it plays a crucial part in the overall development of environmental capacity. Local responses to donor-funded environmental projects can be taken as a barometer that registers the level of commitment towards the environment. Although weak compliance is still a problem at the local level in China, resistance is by no means uniform. China’s technological capacity is less constrained by country-specific circumstances. The capacity for knowledge creation and acquisition relies upon improved monitoring procedures, information management and environmental auditing expertise, which are relatively easy to improve over time.
