Local climate change governance in China: an analysis of social network and cross-sector collaboration in capacity development

The pilot emission trading schemes in China have driven a new wave of local collaborations among state and non-state actors. Strong networks have been formed to support capacity development, potentially improving the quality of governance through inclusion and engagement. However, the currently poor knowledge about the structure of these networks poses a barrier to identifying who and what drive better climate change governance in China. This paper delineates a network of organizations involved in the development of the pilot emission trading scheme of Guangdong Province. It is based on a social network analysis using primary data from structured interviews with 45 local organizations. We identified key organizations who coordinated the network, and provided some explanations about the enabling conditions. Findings show that the network was oligopolistic. Connections were mediated by a handful of organizations with different degrees of public-private hybridity. Government agencies, civil society organizations, compliance enterprises, and management consultancies were not key network builders. Hybrid organizations and cross-sector initiatives have a high potential to become a transformative institutional innovation for improving governance in China. Further research into their contributions and impacts is warranted.