Cross-border governance in southern China

Governance rises to tackle the social and economic problems in the era of globalization. It emphasizes the cooperation between state actors and non-state actors. Hong Kong and Guangdong have gradually become a cross-border region since China opened her door in late 1970s, and cross-border problems have followed. This thesis chooses cross-border E-waste problem in Hong Kong and Guangdong as a case study to examine the governance in cross-border level to tackle the problem. It focuses on the interactive process and the network forming between the state actors and non-state actors across the border to tackle problem. It argues that the social actors, like NGOs, play a critical initiative role in the process, as it takes initiative to investigate the problem, to expose the problem, to arouse public concern and to pressure/interact/cooperate with other actors to take action. In the process, Hong Kong social actors and mainland social actors cooperate together, going beyond the border to take action and extending their influences across the border. The state actors in Hong Kong and mainland remain the crucial actors, as they are still the major actors to introduce/amend rules, regulation and policies and enforce them. Business actors react negatively or passively, as they tend to be reluctant to change