Evaluating the Effects of Water-Related Environmental Governance Policies: Evidence and Lessons from China's River Chief System

As water resources become increasingly scarce and water-related ecological risks intensify, enhancing the effectiveness of water-environmental governance is critical for regional sustainable development. The River Chief System (RCS), a flagship water governance policy with distinctive Chinese characteristics, has been widely implemented across China. This study constructs a tailored Water Pollution Composite Index and applies a difference-in-differences (DID) approach to empirically evaluate the impacts of the policy. The results indicate that the RCS significantly enhances overall water quality at monitoring sites, with effects that show a degree of persistence. The age and educational attainment of local officials, as well as regional economic development levels positively influence the RCS’s effectiveness. Further analysis reveals that the RCS mitigates the “pollution haven” effect and promotes interprovincial cooperation. However, local governments may also engage in “cosmetic governance,” prioritizing visible measures while lacking incentives to address deeper, less observable water pollution. These findings offer a systematic understanding of the RCS’s realworld outcomes and provide guidance for improving water resource management and other ecological governance mechanisms, such as the Forest Chief System and Field Chief System. Moreover, the findings yield practical insights for other countries seeking to implement cross-regional water governance models with clearly defined responsibilities and collaborative arrangements.