The Ecological Authoritarianism and a New Perspective on Ecological Governance
International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)
No.2, 2013
The Ecological Authoritarianism and a New Perspective on Ecological Governance
(Abstract)
He Donghang
In the existing literature of ecological governance, liberal democratic models of ecological governance are dominant. As the humankind faces different new ecological crises, however, the ecological governance of liberal democracy runs into many problems in both the responsiveness of the system and the performance of governance. Based on the reflections of the faults of the system of the ecological governance of liberal democracy in the West, the author tries to propose an authoritarian strategy for ecological governance -- ecological authoritarianism. He presents China as a case and analyzes the ecological shift in the goals of nation’s development and the special functions an authoritarian state can perform in its response to ecological problems. The ecological authoritarianism sees the functions and significance of the state’s authority and an authoritarian party in active promotion of ecological governance. It stresses an authoritarian state can change itself from a negotiator into an agent and active pusher in ecological governance through such ways as promotion by authority, governmental actions, social mobilization and international cooperation.