Social Network,Social Organization Ability And Environmental Policy Diffusion

The report of the 19 th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed the construction of an environmental governance system led by the government,with enterprises as the main body,and with the participation of social organizations and the public.A large number of social organizations have participated in the environmental policy process and become an important force in the field of environmental governance.With the deepening of participation,social organizations can not only participate in the policy process,but also achieve environmental policy innovation and further promote its diffusion outside the innovation site.In this social context,the issue that needs to be addressed is how social organizations promote the diffusion of environmental policies.What are the roles of social networks and organizational capabilities in various stages of environmental policy diffusion?Is there a difference in the magnitude of the effect?To answer the above questions,this article first constructs an analytical framework of“policy process-social network-social organizational capacity”based on the theory of policy process stages,social network theory,and organizational capacity theory.Secondly,a case study of the spread of the“folk-river-chief-system”from Shenzhen to Nanning is selected to conduct a detailed analysis of how social networks and organizational capabilities play a role in the various stages of the spread process of the folk river chief system.Finally,to further verify the rationality of the conclusion,this article supplements a comparative case expansion analysis of the process of Shenzhen’s “folk–river-chief-system”spreading to Huizhou,Liuzhou,and Jinan.Research has found that the government is not the only force driving policy diffusion,and social organizations can participate in the process of policy diffusion and become key actors in promoting environmental policy diffusion.At the same time,social networks and organizational capabilities can be utilized to promote environmental policy diffusion;In the agenda setting stage,building and expanding social networks is the basic way for social organizations to promote the initiation of environmental policy diffusion issues;In the implementation phase of the plan,one’s own professional ability is an important prerequisite for social organizations to promote the successful implementation of environmental policy diffusion.On this basis,it is further concluded that social organizations promote policy diffusion in a“soft”manner;Policy learning driven by social organizations is an important way to modernize government governance capabilities;If the perspective is elevated from simple policy innovation and diffusion to the level of policy process,the research findings of this article also expand the theory of China’s policy process.In order to better leverage and utilize the functions of social organizations in promoting environmental policy diffusion and governance,the first step is to continuously enhance the capabilities of social organizations themselves.The government needs to strongly support the capacity building of social organizations,and social organizations need to optimize their internal management to ensure their orderly development;Secondly,the openness level of local governance and policy decision-making should be continuously improved to provide institutional guarantees for social organizations to better participate in policy processes;Finally,we should continuously expand channels for political and social interaction,build a wide range of political and social communication platforms,and promote cooperation consensus.