Forging Partnerships and Fostering Wisdom: Dynamics of an Environmental Public Interest Litigation Network in Advocating Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management in China

Abstract This article investigates the efforts of the Environmental Public Interest Litigation Network (EPIL Network) to understand how Chinese environmental civil society proactively created a network to mobilize resources, forge collaborative actions, and build capacities and foster wisdom to catalyze changes in the environmental rule of law and in the area of municipal solid waste management. Using civil society network analysis, this article aims to identify and account for interactions between the EPIL Network and other stakeholders, including the government. Finally, the study highlights the contributions of the EPIL Network, which provides an option for resolving political conflicts in China regarding municipal waste management.