Environmental agency and public opinion in Guangzhou: The limits of a popular approach to environmental governance

This article reviews the interactions between environmental agencies and public opinion in developing countries, and presents the findings of a recent household survey showing the emergence of an environmentally sensitive community and a brief survey of environmental governance in Guangzhou. It then examines the effort of the Guangzhou Environmental Protection Bureau in cultivating an environmentally sensitive community, its handling of complaints and its institutional constraints on mobilizing greater public support. The article concludes by considering the national implications of the case of Guangzhou.