Invisible Sky, Visible State: Environmental Governance and Political Support in China

How do political authorities in China respond to mounting environmental problems? Moreover, on what basis do they succeed in securing public approval in the realm of environmental governance? In this study, I argue that local authorities perform "symbolic responsiveness" as a strategy to manage public opinion over environmental issues. Furthermore, symbolic responsiveness is effective in generating public approval, despite the lack of, and sometimes at the expense of appreciable improvement in environmental quality. Data collected in 2014-2015.