Governing the water commons in China: from historical oriental despotism to contemporary fragmented hydraulic state

Yan Zhang

International Journal of Water Resources Development, 2019, vol. 35, issue 6, 1029-1047

Abstract: This paper explores water commons and its governance in China. Neither oriental despotism nor fragmented hydraulic state accurately describes water governance in China. Instead, a combined approach of Grand Union governance logic and polycentric policy-making analysis is proposed. The paper argues that the concept of the commons in China is dual-dimensional, with a vertical dimension of public authority and a horizontal dimension of sharing-in-common; that power structures have often been flexible, adaptive, polycentric and highly experimental; and that, correctly applied, this approach also strives to serve the common good, ensuring positive impacts for shared prosperity, while mitigating negative impacts.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1080/07900627.2018.1508989

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