Abstract :
Traditional analyses of political liberalization in China focus
on elections or other facets of democratization. But they cannot account for
the fact that although China remains authoritarian, it is nevertheless responsive
to the increasingly diverse demands of Chinese society. I argue that the
rules of the policy-making process are still captured by the fragmented
authoritarianism framework, but that the process has become increasingly
pluralized: barriers to entry have been lowered, at least for certain actors
(hitherto peripheral officials, non-governmental organizations and the
media) identified here as “policy entrepreneurs.” With policy change as
the variable of interest, I compare three cases of hydropower policy outcomes.
I argue that policy entrepreneurs’ ability to frame the issue effectively
explains variation in hydropower policy outcomes. I then extend these findings
to an unlikely policy area, international trade, specifically, the 2001–06
Sino-EU trade talks over child-resistant lighter safety regulations.
