Social and environmental policies comparison: United States And China - Research Paper Example

?Social and Environmental Policies Comparison United s and China Please remove headings as desired. Introduction Political s have a direct bearing on various policy matters in any state. Social and environmental policies are directly related to political philosophies and priorities. The implementation of policies is also a direct function of political will. There are myriad differences in the various social and environmental policies in use in the United States and China. The political systems in either country are also differentiated in many respects. This text will attempt to analyse major social and environmental policies implemented in both countries and will analyse them in respect of the political institutions and political systems at work. These policies include the social control of both governments, the governments’ response to social concerns and the commitment of each nation to dealing with environmental concerns. Before policies are directly referred to, the political systems of both countries will be delineated briefly to aid the comparison. Chinese politics are conducted through a single party socialist republic framework while the political structure of the United States of America is a federal constitutional republic. The constitution of China delineates the leadership of the Communist Party but there is no such provision in the constitution of the United States. Instead in the American system the layout of the federal government is delineated through the constitution. The president is the head of the state and the head of the government in both the United States and China. The American system of governance has distributed powers within the president, the Congress and the judiciary in order to maintain a balance of power. On the other hand, the power structure for governance in China is exercised through the Communist Party, through Central People’s Government as well as their local and regional counterparts. However, the federal and state governments in the United States are distinct and independent of each other in some respects yet the federal government shares it sovereignty with the state governments. In China, county level People’s Congress members are elected by voting. These members in turn oversee local government and elect members of the corresponding provincial or municipal People’s Congress. The members of the Provincial People’s Congress further elect members of the National People’s Congress which holds an annual session at Beijing. (China Internet Information Centre) In contrast everyone is allowed to vote freely in the United States to choose most officials in government. The Communist Party plays a pivotal role in selecting fitting candidates to be elected to local congresses and to higher levels in government in China. The parties in United States choose their candidates for election too but independent candidates may stand for election too unlike China where the candidate must be somehow affiliated to the Communist Party. The political system of the United States and China are distinct because of a few issues. The upper house of the legislature, the Congress has increased powers in the United States while the Supreme Court has a wide scope of powers than most other nations. In comparison China has the legislature and the judiciary subservient to the Communist Party in large part. Moreover, the legislature and the executive are well separated in the United States which is not the case in China. Another interesting feature is that only two large political parties exist and dominate the political scene in the United States while only one large and dominant party exists in the Chinese political scenario. (Bowman and Kearney) Political Parties The political scene in the United States is dominated by two traditional political parties that are the Republicans and the Democrats while the Communist Party of China has some 80 million members and it dominates both politics and governance. (Communist Party of China) Both parties in the United States have won every presidential election since 1852 and every Congress election since 1856 while the Communist Party has won every single election to date which indicates their level of control on the respective political systems. Some third parties do exist in the United States but they are able to muster a few seats at best. The constitution of the United States is largely silent on the issue of political parties. In recent years the influence of certain people and organisations outside the Communist Party structure has begun to take root in lieu of trade liberalization. The market economy ensures that there are economic institutions in China that the party does not have much power on. However, all governmental establishments in China are largely subject to the political ideas of the Communist Party of China at appropriate levels. The control of the CPC (Communist Party of China) is greatest in the central government as well as in urban cultural, economic and industrial settings. The control of the CPC is loose in rural settings when compared to urban centres. In contrast, the political parties in the United States hold influence over distinct stratums of society rather than by geographical distinction. (Edwards, Wattenberg and Lineberry) Social and Environmental Policies The United States was an emerging power when China claimed independence. China was still a developing country at independence but progressive reforms initiated in the late seventies have made China the world’s second largest country by GDP as it crossed Japan earlier this year. However, the cost of such development has been borne by the society and the environment. On the other hand, the United States has retained its lead as an economic power and has displayed near stable social and environmental policies over decades. Social Control China has been in the making for two large changes namely institutional transition and structural transformation while the United States already possesses a well developed social spending structure. The Chinese economy is being changed from a planned, centralised and regulated system to a market economy while the American economy is already based on a market economy system. The Chinese government is bent upon changing social structure from a closed, rural and agricultural society to an open, urbanised, industrial and market driven social structure. The United States possesses an advanced urbanised, open and industrial society with very high per capita income levels. The Chinese government retains a large part of the average worker’s pays in order to fuel its aggressive economic policies. The limited participation of the grass root level voter in governance and the domination of the central political structures ensure that this can be easily accomplished. In the United States on the other hand, the workers are far freer to convey their dissent through the political system by utilising their elected representative. The Chinese central government is deregulating its control and is letting non-state actors deal with economic policy while the central government acts as a safety net. The state has allowed massive privatization in attempts to spur the economy successfully. The United States has passed through such deregulation measures a long time ago and the economy is largely independent of the federal government. However, this has had certain disadvantages too such as shown by the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008 and the subsequent failure of banking systems. The Chinese government’s deregulation measures are designed to keep the government’s will as the lynchpin to market deregulation direction. This ensures that the central government retains effective social control. On another note, educational structures have been reformed in China on modern lines to promote education that is not centralised. State spending on education has also been increased from 2.18% to some 4.32% in order to deeply root education. Technical education is being promoted through the establishment of new research centres and professionals from around the world are being gathered to this effect. In contrast, the American education system is facing declining funding from the federal and state governments. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the recent economic crisis have forced the federal government to approach cost cutting measures. Moreover, the emphasis on technical education has been replaced in large part by education on non technical issues such as visual arts, drama, communication, marketing and finance. The government controls the overall direction for education in China as opposed to the United States where local school boards decide on syllabi and direction. Again the strong control of the central Chinese government is apparent and unquestioned. In contrasts, the United States model of education ensures that individuals who can think for themselves are given root in society. China suppresses free social will as a threat to the political system. This was manifest in the recent apprehension of Lu Xiabao and the Chinese government’s protest over the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to him. In sharp contrast, the United States promotes dissent to cement political institutions through debate and dialogue. A recent example is President Obama’s health bill that had to go through due process before further action. In China such a bill would have been passed if the Communist Party’s Politburo approved of it. In fact the Chinese health system is being reformed to this effect and the general populace is being kept aloof of influencing developments. (Zhu) Governmental Response to Social Concerns The power of the Chinese government to implement policies centred on its objectives and goals has been unprecedented. Perhaps the best example for this comes through an analysis of the government’s one child policy whereby couples were encouraged to bear one child only. The government in Beijing consistently believed that a high population was inimical to economic growth. The government implemented policies to control child birth throughout the fifties, sixties and much of the seventies with limited results. The final clamp down was introduced in 1979 with the one child policy. Social and economic pressure was used to restrict the birth rate. Unmarried couples were told to marry late; married couples with more than one child were coerced to opt for sterilization. Population control was reduced to a state sponsored and controlled function. There are allegations of coercion being employed such as physical force, cajoling for abortion and infanticide in order to limit population. Local security agencies accommodated health control functionaries in their office buildings and the top management displayed its willingness for birth control in more ways than one. The consequences have been mixed. While the population growth rate has shrunk to 0.74%, there are newer concerns such as gender distribution in certain areas where men outnumber women significantly. Similarly the reduction of birth rates is predicted to boost the population of old people (65 years and above) to some 10.1% of the total by 2040 which will mean significant government spending would be required to support such a populace. (Overmeyer) On the other hand the United States has a system where the federal government is not at liberty to implement schemes that take its fancy. Health care cuts, changes in social spending and social direction are all matters that are tenuously debated from the grass root level to the top. A symbol of such power of the masses is manifest in the right to own a gun for self defence. Though myriad incidents such as the Columbine High School massacre, the north Hollywood bank robbery and shoot out and others have reminded the nation that gun control needs to be more stringent but the government has failed to pass legislation to this effect. The reason is simply the lack of support from the general populace. Most people see the right to own and operate a weapon as guaranteed by the constitution. However, the government views such an issue as a direct threat to social control. Decades of debate in the Congress over gun laws has proved beyond doubt that the political system is subservient to the general populace and that the central government is not free to tinker around as it sees fit. Environmental Concerns China has been slow to emphasise on a comprehensive environmental policy. Conservation of resources and wildlife is not Beijing’s top priority. Instead the focus across the board is to go for as much economic progress as possible. A few key programs are being implemented such as the conservation of the Panda but massive environmental upheavals like the Three Gorges Dam remain untreated. (Turner and Kim) The rapid industrialisation is producing huge amounts of waste and toxic material that is being left untreated because of the high costs involved. China’s contribution to global carbon dioxide levels is going up as new coal fired power plants are being set up each year. However, there are indications that the government in Beijing is looking to improve the situation. This was manifest through the Beijing Olympics of 2008. Previously Beijing was one of the most polluted cities in the entire world with concerns over air quality going skywards. The government managed to show unparalleled concern for the environment by cleaning up Beijing’s smog like skyline to an extent that it became host to the world’s largest green neighbourhood. (Pasternack) As far as environmental policies are concerned, the United States pursues some of the most aggressive policies around the world to conserve the natural environment. Agencies exist at the federal, state and local levels to ensure that the environment is conserved as best as possible. (Spicker) The focus of the United State’s environmental policies is on acid deposition, ozone depletion, dealing with hazardous wastes and risk control. Myriad legislation exists at all levels and is implemented effectively to ensure environmental protection. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons that the United States follows environmental issues stringently is that a host of factors such as the presence of political green thumbs, an educated populace ready to cry out for legislation and political interest aid political will on the environment. The recent BP Gulf of Mexico spill spurred the entire governmental structure as well as the general populace in condoning the spill and ensuring its cleanup as well as retribution for it. However, the United States has failed to ratify the Kyoto protocol just as China has failed to ratify it. Moreover, the United States is the largest contributor to increasing carbon dioxide levels around the globe while China trails it closely. Conclusion Political structures and systems have a direct bearing on the kinds of social and environmental policies being implemented. For the moment, the Chinese are bent upon enforcing both social and environmental policies through the political cult influence of an oligarchy but the United States is bent upon implementing social and environmental policies through popular support. The United States is largely developed while China is trailing it closely in terms of numbers but China still needs to do much to grow independent in terms of its social and environmental policies. Though both nations are aiming to improve their internal situation through social and environmental policies but the question remains as to who will force them to ratify international environmental regulations such as the Kyoto Protocol? Bibliography Bowman, Ann O'M. and Richard C. Kearney. State and Local Government: The Essentials. 2008. China Internet Information Centre. National People's Congress Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. 2011. 8 August 2011 . Communist Party of China. China's Communist Party members exceed 80 million. 2011. 8 August 2011 . Edwards, George C., Martin P. Wattenberg and Robert L. Lineberry. Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy. Longman, 2009. Overmeyer, Daniel L. “Introduction.” The Journal of Asian Studies 54(2) (1995): 314–321. Pasternack, Alex. Beijing's Olympic Village is World's Largest Green Neighbourhood. 27 August 2008. 8 August 2011 . Spicker, Paul. The Welfare State. 2011. 8 August 2011 . Turner, Jennefir L. and Juli S. Kim. China's Environmental Policy. 2011. 8 August 2011 . Zhu, Q. F. “Social and Economic Indicators: Analysis and Assessment.” Yu, X. Analysis and Forecast on China's Social Policy Development. Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press, 2006. Read More