China’s Policymaking in Transition

The decision-making process underlying large dam construction in China used to be dominated either by powerful leaders or by bureaucratic departments pursuing parochial organizational interests. This article asks whether such state-centric explanations can be applied to China’s more contemporary hydropower development. Reconstructing the events surrounding the Nu River hydropower development project from 2003 to 2009, this study demonstrates that a wide array of nonstate actors, including nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international entities, emerged as new sources of policy input and influence. They advocated the careful consideration of environmental and social impacts of large dams and public participation in policymaking. To achieve these goals, nonstate actors formed networks based on shared beliefs and preferences and engaged in rights-based activism. This study concludes nonstate actors, their preferences, and their strategies should be given more attention for a complete understanding of the evolving nature of Chinese policymaking, particularly in the domain of hydropower development.