The Evolutionary Trajectory and Developmental Dynamics of Intergovernmental Cooperative Environmental Governance from the Perspective of Historical Institutionalism

Ecological and environmental issues are trans-regional and holistic in nature, necessitating the breaking down of administrative boundaries and the pursuit of intergovernmental cooperation in environmental governance. This is not only an inevitable requirement for strengthening ecological civilization construction but also a vital path towards fostering a green economic development model. By adopting historical institutionalism as a significant lens to observe the evolution of China's intergovernmental cooperative environmental governance models, we discern four distinct developmental stages: inception and foundation, practice and exploration, enrichment and development, as well as deepening and innovation. Within the evolutionary logic of these governance models, there exists both self-reinforcement due to path dependence and significant changes triggered by the coupling of critical junctures. The driving force behind these model shifts stems from the power struggles among stakeholders such as the central government, local governments, regional enterprises, and the public. Looking ahead, China will aim to accelerate the reform of its ecological civilization system and build a "Beautiful China" as its developmental goals, strengthening intergovernmental cooperation to jointly tackle challenges in environmental governance and fostering a harmonious and symbiotic governance model among different levels of government.