Untangling the critical success factors of the latest compulsory waste sorting initiative in Shanghai: the role of accountability governance

Xie, S., Gong, Y., Zhang, A. , Liu, Y. and Li, C. (2024) Untangling the critical success factors of the latest compulsory waste sorting initiative in Shanghai: the role of accountability governance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 444, 141268. (doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141268)

Abstract

Municipal solid waste sorting is an essential element of urban sustainability as cities transition to a circular economy. As a mega-city, Shanghai has achieved remarkable milestones in its latest compulsory waste sorting program. This success has garnered widespread attention, and most studies have primarily focused on policy interventions from either a macro perspective or micro-analysis of individual behaviours. However, these studies have often overlooked the intricacies of multi-stakeholder coordination and the division of responsibilities, which frequently contributed to the failure of waste sorting initiatives. Furthermore, existing research lacks a systematic theoretical framework to elucidate multi-stakeholder accountability mechanisms. Therefore, this research adopts a case study approach to untangle the factors that led to Shanghai's success. Through the lens of accountability theory, this study systematically elaborates stakeholder accountability mechanisms and offers a distinctive multi-stakeholder perspective to explain Shanghai's success across vertical, horizontal, and felt accountability dimensions. This informative exemplar provides crucial empirical insights for other cities, especially those grappling with challenges in promoting and managing waste sorting initiatives.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Dr. Abraham Zhang and Dr. Yanping Liu would like to acknowledge the funding support from the British Academy Small Research Grants (SRG21\211282).
• Keywords: Waste sorting, municipal solid waste, recycling chain, circular economy, accountability theory, case study.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Zhang, Dr Abraham
• Authors: Xie, S., Gong, Y., Zhang, A., Liu, Y., and Li, C.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Journal Name: Journal of Cleaner Production
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0959-6526
• ISSN (Online): 1879-1786
• Published Online: 14 February 2024
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd.
• First Published: First published in Journal of Cleaner Production 444:141268
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy