Summary
Over 180 environmental protection bureaucrats in the People's Republic of China were individually interviewed to determine their environmental awareness and their attitudes towards the environment. The study indicates that environmental protection bureaucrats in China have conflicting attitudes towards the relationship between man and nature, and between economic growth and environmental protection. However, they show a strong faith in science and technology's ability to solve environmental problems. The perception that too-harsh environmental protection regulations would reduce the growth potential of the economy is so predominant that it poses a serious threat to the environment of the three municipalities under investigation. It is argued that environmental management is a matter of managing human beings. To understand people, it is imperative to gain a thorough understanding of their worldview.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albrecht, D., Bultena, G., Hoiberg, E. and Nowak, P. (1982) Measuring environmental concern: the New Environmental Paradigm scale.The Journal of Environmental Education,13, 39–43.
Bacharach, S. and Lawler, E. (1981)Bargaining, Power, Tactics and Outcomes, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Barrett, S. and Fudge, C. (eds) (1983)Policy and Action, London: Methuen.
Basiago, A.D. (1994) The limits of technological optimism.The Environmentalist,14, 17–22.
Cairncross, F. (1992)Costing the Earth: The Challenge for Governments, the Opportunities for Business Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Chalakov, I.T., Kotzeva, T., Todorova, I., Nenkova, D. and Evlogiev, B. (1993) The ecological awareness of Bulgarian industrial managers.The Environmentalist,13, 285–96.
Dickens, P. (1992)Society and Nature: Towards a Green Social Theory, New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
Dunlap, R.E. and Van Liere, K.D. (1978) The ‘New Environmental Paradigm’.The Journal of Environmental Education,9, 10–19.
Dunlap, R.E. (1980) Paradigmatic charge in social science: from human exemptions to an ecological paradigm.American Behavioural Scientist,2(1)5–14
Dunshire, A. (1978)Implementation in a Bureaucracy, Oxford: Martin Robertson.
Franks, T. (1989) Bureaucracy, organization culture and development.Public Administration and Development,9, 357–68.
Gill, J.D., Crosby, L.A. and Taylor, J.R. (1986) Ecological concern, attitudes, and social norms in voting behavior.Public Opinion Quarterly,50, 537–54.
Hackett, P.M.W. (1993) Modelling environmental concern: theory and application.The Environmentalist,13, 117–20.
Hofstede, G. (1980)Cultures Consequences, London: Sage.
Inlehart, R. (1990)Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Jenkins, W. (1978)Policy Analysis: A Political and Organizational Perspective, London: Martin Robertson.
Lockett, M. (1988) Culture and the problems of Chinese management.Organizational Studies,9, 475–96.
Mazmanian, D. and Sabatier, P. (1981)Effective Policy Implementation, Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, DC Health and Co.
Milbrath, L.W. (1984)Environmentalists: Vanguard for a New Society, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Murphey, R. (1967) Man and nature in China.Modern Asian Studies,1, 313–33.
O'Riordan, T. (1981)Environmentalism (2nd edn), London: Psion.
Rees, J. (1988) Pollution control objectives and the regulatory framework. In K. Turner (ed)Sustainable Environmental Management, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.
Renu, K., Ng, K. and Chan, H.S. (1992) Environmental management and street-level regulators: A cultural trap?Public Administration and Development,12, 387–97.
Rohrschneider, R. (1993) Environmental belief systems in Western Europe: A hierarchical model of constraint.Comparative Political Studies,26, 3–29.
Schein, E. (1985)Organizational Culture and Leadership, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Skrentny, J.D. (1994) Concern for the environment: A cross-national perspective.International Journal of Public Opinion Research,5, 335–52.
Smil, V. (1993)China's Environmental Crisis: Inquiry into the Limits on National Development, New York: M.E. Sharpe, Armonk.
State Environmental Protection Agency (1993)The State of China's Environment 1992, SEPA, Beijing
Thompson, M. and Wildavsky, A. (1986) A cultural theory of information bias in organizations.Journal of Management Studies,23, 273–86.
Thrasher, M. (1983) Exchange networks and implementation.Policy and Politics,11, 375–91.
Van Liere, K.D. and Dunlap, R.E. (1981) Environmental concern: does it make a difference how it's measured?Environment and Behavior,13, 651–76.
Weigel, R.H. and Weigel, J. (1978) Environmental concern: the development of a measure.Environment and Behavior,10, 3–15.
Wong, K.K. and Chan, H.S. (1994) The development of environmental management system in the People's Republic of China. In M. Brosseau and C.K. Lo (eds)China Review 1994, pp. 21.1–21.21. The Chinese University Press, Hong Kong.
Wu, Z. (1987) The origins of environmental management in China. In B. Glaeser (ed)Learning from China, pp. 111–19. London: Allen and Unwin.
Zhongguo huanjing nianjian (China Environment Yearbook) (1991). China Environment Yearbook Press, Beijing
Zhu, B. (1993) Pollution is worse in some areas of the country.China Daily, 8 December, page 3.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Dr Koon-Kwai Wong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and the Geography option co-ordinator on the China Studies course at Hong Kong Baptist University. Dr Hon S. Chan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public and Social Administration at the City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wong, KK., Chan, H.S. The environmental awareness of environmental protection bureaucrats in the People's Republic of China. Environmentalist 16, 213–219 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01324762
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01324762