Polycentric approach of wastewater governance in textile industrial parks: Case study of local governance innovation in China

In this article, we introduce and analyze an emerging polycentric governance model for addressing wastewater challenges in textile industrial parks in China. Unlike the conventional two-tier model with government and polluters only, the emerging model emphasizes multi-actor participation and presents new possibilities in enhancing the cost-effectiveness and alleviating the compliance deficiency. We introduce the model through a case study of the Binhai textile industrial park. The features of the model include levering the subject of monitoring, allowing collaborative wastewater treatment, employing the administrative power of local governing bodies, and engaging multiple local actors. To explain its formation, we adopt event sequence analysis, and point out the important role of local government as a facilitator and a regulator in the externally generated collaborative governance. We identified its success factors with pattern matching based on polycentric governance theories. We find the involvement of varied actors in the decision-making process of internal wastewater emission standard could lead to applicable policy making with high acceptance, which contributes to the environmental performance. To initiate the transition towards the new model, three conditions are required, including policy support from the government, the establishment of monitoring systems, and capacity building for actors.