Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

As the largest greenhouse gas emitter, China’s environmental policy has received wide attention. Many scholars argue that policymaking processes on environmental issues in authoritarian regimes lack societal participation; some of them describe China’s environmental policymaking as a top-down approach. Although there is literature on how NGOs generate bottom-up sources of environmental policymaking in China, few researchers have paid attention to companies. This paper fills the research gap and explores the power of policy networks created by Chinese companies which can potentially shape agenda setting for environmental policy in China. Based on the case of Ant Forest Initiative, I analyze how policy networks created by the company of Alibaba Group are able to shape policy agenda setting in China and why these networks are persuasive and convincing to policymakers. I find that there are mainly three elements embedded in the policy networks: links to attract policymaker’s eye, trust to form reliable information about public awareness, and authority to convince policymakers. Then I introduce policy responses from policymakers to this initiative. For example, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has released Code of Conduct for Environmental Protection, and it has cooperated with Alibaba Group to launch and organize activities on specific topics. Additionally, this program has also been officially integrated to the responsibility system of national voluntary trees planting. According to the key elements embedded in the policy networks created by Alibaba Group, I also propose policy implications, including stronger government financial support to strengthening the links, publicity of low-carbon lifestyles to promoting environmental awareness, and more research on innovative technology to ensuring the accuracy of carbon measurement and engendering spillover effect on other regions.