Part I: 1. Health effects of environmental degradation; 2. Economic, sociopolitical and foreign policy impacts; Part II: 3. Evolving environmental health policy; 4. Implementing environmental health policy; 5. An assessment of policy effectiveness; Notes; Index.
China's deepening health crisis reveals the fragility of the party-state and undercuts China's ability to project influence internationally.
Yanzhong Huang is a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also a professor at Seton Hall University's School of Diplomacy and International Relations, where he developed the first academic concentration among US schools of international affairs to explicitly address the security and foreign policy aspects of global health issues. His writing has appeared in outlets including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the New York Times, and the International Herald Tribune.
'Dr Huang has animated a dry subject and brought it to life. He
elegantly combines environmental science, public health, political
science, organizational behavior and his own family and hometown
experiences. The writing style is approachable and yet also very
careful and precise. The book is a tremendous read. It is a worthy
successor or update of Liz Economy's The River Runs Black of 2004.
Moreover, this is much more than a scholarly work. The subject and
analysis elucidate the conditions that at least 1.4 billion Chinese
citizens face every day. The spill-over effects of the problem-set
that he so eloquently unpacks here will have obvious global
consequence. I only hope that the book is translated into many
languages. But, most importantly, I hope that it is translated into
Chinese and read widely by members of the Chinese public as well as
the political establishment in China.' Craig Allen, President, US
Ambassador (ret), US-China Business Council
'Yanzhong Huang has accomplished a remarkable achievement: he
offers us a comprehensive, truly interdisciplinary study of
interrelated Chinese political, economic, and societal dynamics
through a deep dive into the relationship between two vitally
important policy areas, environmental degradation and its effects
on citizens' health.' Andrew Mertha, George and Sadie Hyman
Professor and Director of China Studies, Johns Hopkins
University
'Bringing well-researched data to life through poignant personal
narratives, Huang documents devastating air, water, and soil
pollution—and the Party's conflicted approach to acknowledging and
addressing its toll on citizens' health. To understand some of
China's most pressing challenges now and in the future, read this
book!' Dr Andrew S. Erickson, Professor, Naval War College;
Visiting Scholar, Harvard Fairbank Center
'This book addresses a key question as to how a major environmental
health crisis may influence China's rise. The book systematically
reviews the fundamental economic, sociopolitical, foreign policy
and health implications of the crisis and its policy response. The
book also offers an intriguing assessment of the evolvement and
implementation of environmental health policies in China. It is a
must-read for those who are interested in global environmental
health and policy issues.' Xi Chen, Associate Professor at Yale
University; President, China Health Policy and Management
Society
'Toxic Politics does not hedge or equivocate. China must first heal
its body politic before it will effectively address its
environmental slide and heal its people. Willing participation by
citizens in environmental and health action, as well as in overall
governance, is necessary for a healthy environment and a
sustainable great power.' David M. Lampton, Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow
at the Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University, and
former director of China Studies, Johns Hopkins-SAIS
'Yanzhong Huang's Toxic Politics is a gem of a volume. This
historically grounded, multidisciplinary analysis clearly explains
not only China's wide ranging environmental problems and their
devastating public health consequences but also the political,
bureaucratic, social and international factors that have stimulated
- and also distorted and weakened implementation of - policy
initiatives to ameliorate these problems. Policy success, he
argues, will require additional profound changes in the country's
state-market relations, bureaucratic power structure, and
state-society relations. Otherwise, he concludes, China's
environmental health issues have profoundly negative implications
for its future economic growth, socio-political stability, and
foreign relations.' Kenneth G. Lieberthal, Senior Fellow Emeritus,
Brookings Institution
'Toxic Politics is a must read for the times we live in. Focused on
the impact of the 'dark cloud' of environmental degradation on
public health in China, this comprehensive and fascinating book not
only provides new information on the consequences of pollution on
an array of diseases and health concerns, but also examines the
Chinese political system that allowed this toxic pollution to
happen, along with the many challenges and conflicts now faced as
it struggles to address them. While environmental health and
governance may be the focus of this meticulously researched work,
Yanzhong Huang offers much more. As the world grapples with the
COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a host of other pressing global
problems, Toxic Politics is full of valuable insights into how the
Chinese government responds to crises that will matter to us all.'
Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, Foreign Secretary, National Academy of
Medicine and past-president of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science
'In this astonishingly prescient analysis, Yanzhong Huang zeroes in
on the vital link between China's political health and its physical
health. His tough, fair-minded, deeply knowledgeable book not only
diagnoses grave problems lurking behind China's environmental
progress but also provides a cautionary note about China's bid for
global leadership. Anyone who wants to predict China's growth
prospects needs to read this.' Evan Osnos, author of Age of
Ambition
'Toxic Politics is a fascinating, lively, and authoritative account
of the successes and failures of China's environmental
authoritarianism particularly under Xi Jinping. Essential reading
for anyone worried about pollution and health in China. I can't
think of a better book for teaching political science students
about Chinese politics and policy making.' Susan L. Shirk, Research
Professor and Chair, 21st Century China Center, School of Global
Policy and Strategy, UC San Diego
'Huang's book combines rich knowledge and profound insight about
China's environmental health crisis and it should be treated
seriously by those interested in understanding more about the
Chinese state's environmental health crisis and government
response.' Genia Kostka, The China Quarterly
'… Toxic Politics is one of the most readable texts on China and
the environment. Readers in search of a well-written book on this
topic need look no further.' Yifei Li, Political Science Quarterly
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