Green Dragon or Green Bear? Comparing Environmental Activism in China and Russia

• In Event: The Political Economy of Environment in China and Russia

Abstract

Despite barriers to civil society, environmental groups continue to persist in authoritarian regimes like China and Russia. How are environmental activists able to work within these constrained conditions for civil society? Which tactics are (perceived as) most effective? What are the differences in how activists engage with state actors across these two different regimes?

Using cases of environmental activism in Russia and China, I gain leverage on these questions by examining four tactics that activists use to interact with the state: leveraging international influence (including funding), engaging in mass mobilization, seeking justice through the legal system, and participating in formal and informal relationships with policymakers. Despite China’s more closed authoritarian system, I find that Chinese environmental groups have greater access to policymakers through informal channels, increasing access to the legal system, and are more able to contribute to governance.

In Russia, in contrast, environmental groups are mostly excluded from governance, have fewer legal opportunities, and, as a result, often lean on mass mobilization and international ties. I argue that these differences can be explained by considering each state’s approach to the dilemma of information and control and how environmental activism interacts with differences in political structure, the regime’s basis of power, and major historical traumas. Evidence is drawn from over 13 months of fieldwork and more than 140 interviews with relevant actors in Russia and China.

Author

• Elizabeth Plantan, Harvard University