Authoritarian Environmentalism and Epistemological Violence: A Southern Green Criminology Analysis of the 2014 Lanzhou Water Crisis and the Belt and Road Initiative Expansion into the Global Water Sector
This article examines authoritarian states’ roles in commodifying freshwater resources in illiberal societies. The authors argue that collusion between global capitalism and national authoritarian interests has affected the legal structure, regulation enforcement, and institutional practices of publ...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Queensland University of Technology
2023-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/2948 |
| _version_ | 1797405674692411392 |
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| author | KuoRay Mao Zhong Zhao |
| author_facet | KuoRay Mao Zhong Zhao |
| author_sort | KuoRay Mao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article examines authoritarian states’ roles in commodifying freshwater resources in illiberal societies. The authors argue that collusion between global capitalism and national authoritarian interests has affected the legal structure, regulation enforcement, and institutional practices of public–private partnerships in China’s municipal water systems, resulting in regulatory failures in drinking water provision. The article also explores the implications of China’s state capitalist expansion into the global water utilities market as part of the green Belt and Road Initiative and suggests that this expansion may lead to new patterns of environmental concerns in the Global South. The findings demonstrate that collusion between neoliberal and authoritarian capitalist expansions shapes increasing inequalities and environmental governance standards in the Global South. The authors stress the need to view environmental and public health disasters resulting from water privatization as a transnational crime rather than solely focusing on nation-state regulatory mechanisms that exemplify “metropolitan thinking” in criminology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:14:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f7639f17188f4934acf128c7d3c8eeff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2202-7998 2202-8005 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:14:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Queensland University of Technology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy |
| spelling | doaj.art-f7639f17188f4934acf128c7d3c8eeff2023-12-03T22:01:35ZengQueensland University of TechnologyInternational Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy2202-79982202-80052023-12-01124273810.5204/ijcjsd.29483271Authoritarian Environmentalism and Epistemological Violence: A Southern Green Criminology Analysis of the 2014 Lanzhou Water Crisis and the Belt and Road Initiative Expansion into the Global Water SectorKuoRay Mao0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4067-6059Zhong Zhao1Colorado State UniversityColorado State University This article examines authoritarian states’ roles in commodifying freshwater resources in illiberal societies. The authors argue that collusion between global capitalism and national authoritarian interests has affected the legal structure, regulation enforcement, and institutional practices of public–private partnerships in China’s municipal water systems, resulting in regulatory failures in drinking water provision. The article also explores the implications of China’s state capitalist expansion into the global water utilities market as part of the green Belt and Road Initiative and suggests that this expansion may lead to new patterns of environmental concerns in the Global South. The findings demonstrate that collusion between neoliberal and authoritarian capitalist expansions shapes increasing inequalities and environmental governance standards in the Global South. The authors stress the need to view environmental and public health disasters resulting from water privatization as a transnational crime rather than solely focusing on nation-state regulatory mechanisms that exemplify “metropolitan thinking” in criminology.https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/2948southern green criminologywater crimeprivatization of waterauthoritarian environmentalismgreen belt and road initiative |
| spellingShingle | KuoRay Mao Zhong Zhao Authoritarian Environmentalism and Epistemological Violence: A Southern Green Criminology Analysis of the 2014 Lanzhou Water Crisis and the Belt and Road Initiative Expansion into the Global Water Sector International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy southern green criminology water crime privatization of water authoritarian environmentalism green belt and road initiative |
| title | Authoritarian Environmentalism and Epistemological Violence: A Southern Green Criminology Analysis of the 2014 Lanzhou Water Crisis and the Belt and Road Initiative Expansion into the Global Water Sector |
| title_full | Authoritarian Environmentalism and Epistemological Violence: A Southern Green Criminology Analysis of the 2014 Lanzhou Water Crisis and the Belt and Road Initiative Expansion into the Global Water Sector |
| title_fullStr | Authoritarian Environmentalism and Epistemological Violence: A Southern Green Criminology Analysis of the 2014 Lanzhou Water Crisis and the Belt and Road Initiative Expansion into the Global Water Sector |
| title_full_unstemmed | Authoritarian Environmentalism and Epistemological Violence: A Southern Green Criminology Analysis of the 2014 Lanzhou Water Crisis and the Belt and Road Initiative Expansion into the Global Water Sector |
| title_short | Authoritarian Environmentalism and Epistemological Violence: A Southern Green Criminology Analysis of the 2014 Lanzhou Water Crisis and the Belt and Road Initiative Expansion into the Global Water Sector |
| title_sort | authoritarian environmentalism and epistemological violence a southern green criminology analysis of the 2014 lanzhou water crisis and the belt and road initiative expansion into the global water sector |
| topic | southern green criminology water crime privatization of water authoritarian environmentalism green belt and road initiative |
| url | https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/2948 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kuoraymao authoritarianenvironmentalismandepistemologicalviolenceasoutherngreencriminologyanalysisofthe2014lanzhouwatercrisisandthebeltandroadinitiativeexpansionintotheglobalwatersector AT zhongzhao authoritarianenvironmentalismandepistemologicalviolenceasoutherngreencriminologyanalysisofthe2014lanzhouwatercrisisandthebeltandroadinitiativeexpansionintotheglobalwatersector |