China's experience shows the problem of relying on citizen complaints for guidance in addressing pollution problems when monitoring resources are scarce. Visible pollutants get too much attention and communities with low levels of literacy get too little.China's environmental regulators respond...

In China, environmental regulators play by the rules, but often bend them in ways that reflect important environmental and social concerns. Regulators give little or no slack to heavy dischargers. Old factories pay more, state-owned factories pay higher rates, and big employers get a...