State rescaling, power reconfiguration and path dependence: China’s Xin’an River Basin Eco-compensation Pilot (XRBEP)

ABSTRACT

This paper outlines the power configuration and path dependence of state intervention in China’s Xin’an River Basin Eco-compensation Pilot (XRBEP) through the lens of state rescaling. The findings demonstrate that state rescaling of watershed eco-compensation, as a process of state power reconfiguration triggered by capital accumulation, reflects the adaptive governance of China’s central government. We argue that the path dependence of state intervention always coexists in the rescaling process of watershed eco-compensation. Tensions exist between the power reconfiguration and the path dependence of state intervention, which have promoted the process of state rescaling and the evolution of China’s watershed eco-compensation policies.

KEYWORDS:

• watershed eco-compensation
• state rescaling
• Xin’an River
• power reconfiguration
• path dependence

JEL:

• Q57

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant numbers 42101234, 71774088 and 72074119]; the National Planning Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences [grant numbers 17BGL142 and 18ZDA052]; and the Jiangsu Provincial Social Science Foundation [grant number 20GLB003].