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The Influence Study Of Institutional Innovation On Resource Conservation And Environment Protection

Posted on:2012-09-10Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:L Y ShenFull Text:PDF
GTID:1119330344951952Subject:Political economy
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Tailings storage facility and tailings resources and environment in mine development are facing a huge challenge in China. Tailings resources wasting and environment pollution caused by tailings dam break are currently highlighted problems in national economic and social development in China, which not only leads to severe secondary resources loss and wasting phenomenon but also breeds significant security and social crisis, challenges government credibility, damages people's lives/property safety, breaks national/social harmony and stability, and affects sustained development in economy. More importantly, to summarize resources wasting and environmental pollution due to many major mine disasters, tailings dam break events, and tailings emission violations for many years, it can be found that for these severe problems which have seriously damaged people's physical and metal health, caused great loss of lives and property and ate away economic growth constantly, some have already lead to social crisis within certain rage to certain extent while some have potential public crisis behind and do harm to social harmony and stability and sustained development in economy. Therefore, it is a key subject in front of the Party and Government and scholars to research into the cause behind the non-compliance of resources conservation and environment project in mine development in China and its solution.At present, the Chinese academic circles have obtained many achievements in aspect of studying and exploring resources conservation and environment protection. However, interpretations and responses to resources wasting and environment pollution in tailings storage facility are still far from satisfactory. It is manifested in the following ways. Firstly, many studies impute the tailings dam break accidents to mine enterprises or mine owners, rarely analyze the internal institutional system behind mine disasters, pollutions, and resources wasting, seldom review existing relevant economic system and polices, and neglect the effectiveness of tailings resources and environment governance system. Secondly, existing studies on resources and environment governance mainly focus on technology level and discuss very little sociological theories, which has prevented tailings storage facility management and governance researches from going further. Thirdly, system researches on resources and environment mainly emphasize on property system. However, the fact is that clarification of property right doesn't solve problems of tailings resources and environment. Other systems such as price mechanism and community autonomy movement are likewise the necessary system for tailings resources and environment governance activities. Fourthly, management and governance of tailings resources and environment are lack of corresponding system. Based on above research status, the paper first discusses the basic theories and fundamental concepts of system and economic system. As a rule-based system or configuration arrangement which is accepted and conformed to by members of the system and reflects the balanced choosing of its members in a game, the term "system" means the social norm or the game rule in a society, also the formal or informal constraint discovered and set by people but constructing inter-behavior of human being. System builds the incentive structure for political, social, and economic exchanges of people. The so-called economic system is the ruling system that regulates market economic entity engaging in economic activities, including national legal systems and invisible rules and international routines of value form and economic association in economic life. These rules make up the cooperation and competition in basic social or national economic order. System can be formal system and informal system. However, no hard and fast line can be drawn between formal system and informal system. Formal system is a kind of informal system which has been textualized and normalized. The cultural value of a society or nation is the foundation of system. In terms of economic development requirements, for one thing, system is the key to economic growth, containing constitution principals of rule by law, structure of government power and restriction, independence of judicature, etc. and creating motivations of key economic subject in a society, but for the other thing, economic development would promote system changes and provide economic conditions for system changes. Without market economy development as induction factor, system is always non-efficient. As Chinese economy develops, all orders and interest groups of society will ask for system arrangement and even political order to protect their acquired interests or demand the interests they haven't acquired. Therefore, property system, social incentive mechanism, and competitive mechanism are changing. Nevertheless, system change may affect acquired interests, but system change and innovation might not weaken governability and interests of ruling group and might improve its governability and interests instead. These research conclusions have created the theoretical foundation for system research on tailings resources and environment governance.Based on the interactive relationship of economic development with resources conservation and environment protection, with reference to the strategy of resource environment in China, the paper has analyzed the internal relation of system to resources conservation and environment protection and demonstrated the theoretical basis of resources and environment governance promoted by system. Scientific development is a civilized development in line with humanity, a harmonious development between people with nature and environment. It is the concept of economic development of tailings resources development and utilization based on criteria of value. Resources are the material base for existence and development of human society, environment provides spatial support for economic development, and economic development is the guarantee of harmonious coexistence between resources and environment. System construction will contribute to resources conservation and environment protection and effective system is the premise and basis to promote resources conservation and utilization in mine development and to improve environment protection and economic sustainable and healthy development. The system development of resources and environment governance shall take into consideration of enhanced supervision and penalty implementation upon those who damages environment to seek exorbitant profits, and take into account of effective incentives and restraints on supervisors. However, because there is no corresponding legal space and system support, the implementation capacity of social members and mobilized resources of actors in community movement are limited. Therefore, the key to tailings resources and environment governance in mine development is the direct intervention by community into conflict of resources and environment benefits in mine area, and the effective system innovation or system innovation which can actually realize the open dialogue between interested parties. It has been verified in Peru mineral resources development project invested by China. Community in Peru can take a part in approving tailings storage facility construction program. Community has been involved a lot in oversea mineral resources development management and holds substantial right of speech. In fact, it also means that system innovation needs non-market public governance.The paper has carried out an institutional analysis of resources and environment conflict in mine development. The system dilemma of resources environment governance in mine development causes "government failure" and "market failure" in system supply. In mine development, there are conflicts in mine resources'property system, interest relation, values, beliefs, way of thinking, etc. Therefore, economic behavior and local public policy and services can not take social benefits into consideration at the same time. The way to get out of the difficulty is multi-agency management, that is, to face and resolve the contradiction of system is to achieve coordination of system and to define the focus of tailings resources and environment system construction by way of confirming property right of tailings resources, updating concept of cultural values, and promoting equity and justice. In this way, social responsibility of nation, market, and enterprise is clarified and a relatively independent and separated new governance structure is formed between public authorities, private economic section, and the third sector.The paper has made a thorough inquiry into Chinese tailings resources and environment governance system status, oversea tailings resources and environment governance experience and lessons, and principles and objective system to rebuild Chinese tailings resources and tailings storage facility management systems, focusing on researching community autonomy system of tailings storage facility management and deposit system for tailings storage facility governance. Tailings resources and environment are facing a huge challenge, which is caused by imperfection of policy, defects in economic system, and defects of social management system and accountability system on leading cadre. Moreover, in order to innovate economic system of tailings storage facility governance, we have to not only straighten and strengthen property right incentive of tailings resources but also innovate price mechanism of tailings resources and environment and intensify price protection of tailings resources. For tailings storage facility government mechanism, we have to strengthen community autonomy, complete political and social system of community autonomy governance, and intensify deposit system for accidents. The relevant significant findings or conclusions or viewpoints include:Firstly, in China, existing systems for tailings resources development and utilization and environment protection don't encourage resources conservation and environment protection, manifested in the following:(1) Mining right management system itself doesn't encourage mining right owner to make the best use of low grade resources such as tails and waste rocks in tailings storage facility. It is mainly the fixed time limit of mining permit that decides the short-term act of mining right owner and makes him give up the promise to save resources and protect environment; (2) The system of separation of mining right and prospecting right diverges drastically from the policy of mineral resources comprehensive utilization and environment protection, encourages the short-term act of prospecting right owner to a certain extent, and doesn't encourage mining right owner to fulfill the obligation of resources comprehensive utilization and environment protection; (3) In mining industry, there are six charges, i.e. "resource compensation fee, resource tax, prospecting royalties, mineral royalties, prospecting right cost, and mining right cost", but these charging system doesn't reflect resources utilization level and resources consumption status of mine enterprises and doesn't encourage tailings resources comprehensive development and utilization; (4) Mining right evaluation system doesn't encourage resources comprehensive development and utilization. It is mainly the evaluation method that is difficult to motivate prospecting right owner and mining right owner to fulfill the obligation of resources comprehensive utilization and environment protection; (5) Value added tax system cannot evaluate factors such as resources consumption and resources comprehensive utilization level, difficult to realize the stimulation expected by policies and different from the principle of circulating economy; besides, tax system of value added tax itself doesn't encourage the development and utilization of low grade and low cost resources; (6) Furthermore, current environment protection system, mining right management and organization system, safety technology supervision and inspection system, and tailings storage facility safety production management system are all defective and basically don't encourage re-utilization of tailings resources. In addition, China is also lack of system that effectively ensures social organization takes a part in tailings resources and environment governance. Accountability system of major tailings storage facility accidents is also unsound. Secondly, based on typical experience and lessons of national tailings resources and environment governance, we need to further clarify government responsibility in mine resources management, improve mineral resources planning and policy coordination, build tailings resources comprehensive management system, and complete incentive and restraint mechanism of tailings storage facility governance. Besides, on promoting innovative concept of economic system in tailings storage facility management, it is required to promote highly "cultural consciousness", avoid falling into thought orientation of "constructive rationalism", discard static "allocative efficiency", erect a concept of "adaptive efficiency", and make up specific system architecture of tailings storage facility governance. Thirdly, the resident community in area of tailings storage facility is an effective management unit of tailings storage facility "shared resources". Not only do residents in the community have immediate relation with local mine resources and natural environment maintenance, but also due to common heritage, they have motivation (community incentive), consciousness, and social capital to take collective action for tailings resources and environment governance. However, community governance has certain difficulties, such as community changes, labor movement, indifference of rural residents to environment protection, incomplete community autonomy organization, threat of potential mass disturbance, etc. However, these difficulties can be avoided through system improvement, justification and guarantee of community autonomy of tailings storage facility governance, perfection of community operations management system and community autonomy organization, etc. and effective community governance can be realized for tailings resources and environment governance. Fourthly, the case study of tailings storage facility accidents shows that the deposit system for accidents is of great importance in making the person directly responsible for potential accident perform duties and obligation effectively, settling social instability caused by tailings storage facility accident quickly, ensuring the interests of people suffering from accident disaster, and avoiding tailings dam break. The implementation mechanism of system is also very important, so as to avoid unreasonable or even illegal modification to system.
Keywords/Search Tags:Tailings Storage Facility, System, Resources Conservation, Environment Protection, Mine Development
PDF Full Text Request
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