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Obstacles in Policy Learning and Obstacle Surmounting： The Case of China’s Drinking Water Standards

*Author：Wang Chengwei，Center of Science Technology and Society， Tsinghua University   

  1. *Author：Wang Chengwei，Center of Science Technology and Society， Tsinghua University
  • Online:2010-07-20 Published:2010-07-20
  • Contact: *Author：Wang Chengwei，Center of Science Technology and Society， Tsinghua University）E-mail： chengwei.thu@gmail．com E-mail:chengwei.thu@gmail．com
  • About author:*Author：Wang Chengwei，Center of Science Technology and Society， Tsinghua University
  • Supported by:

    **This research was supported by NSFC ［National Science Foundation of China］ Project“The Trigger

    Mechanisn of Policy Agenda Setting in Transitonal China”［70673042］．

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Abstract:

This paper extends the sociality of policy learning by means of reviewing its theory and

referring to Latour’s sociology of association， and defines policy learning as the coevolution

of the policy relevant actornetworks and their heterogeneous ideas． The author contends that，

during the process of policy learning， its obstacles arise with the solidification of network

associations and stabilization of knowledge sets into a “consensus．” By contrast， various

imbalances resulting from the actors’ individual learning in different network associations serve

as the necessary foundation for overcoming the obstacles． This paper examines the evolutionary case

of China’s drinking water standards in the past 20 years to verify the mechanisms for the emergence

and surmounting of the obstacles in policy learning from the constructivist perspective． The author

holds that the new national standards are the product of “environment protection” being translated

into an issue of “public safety” by newly participating actors． The marginalization of the

drinking water standards in the two high waves for standardization in the 1970s/1980s and at the

beginning of the 21st century is also reflected upon． Finally， the paper points out possible

hidden difficulties in the execution of the new drinking water standards as resistance exists in

social institutions such as incompleteness in the implementation of the standards and lack of a

thorough comprehension of “public safety．” 

Key words: policy learning, drinking water standards, actornetworks