Advocating Under Hierarchy: Comparing Climate Advocacy Coalitions in China's Local Policy Processes

This study applies the Advocacy Coalition Framework to analyse how non-state actors advocated climate policy changes in China's four early mover cities. Research institutes, international and domestic NGOs and government-funded think tanks shared similar concerns over climate change and interacted closely, constituting climate advocacy coalitions. They used local officials' lack of climate knowledge to engage in local policy processes, which were dominated by status quo coalitions. The climate advocacy coalitions contributed to climate agenda setting and framing changes but were less effective in implementation matters. Paired case comparisons indicate local political leaders' engagement necessary for climate policy implementation.