Optimization path for overcoming barriers in China’s environmental protection institutional system

Abstract The successful implementation of the most stringent environmental protection institution is crucial for China to prevent and control increasingly serious environmental issues. However, the current environmental protection institutional system (EPIS) is constrained by various barriers. This paper aims to construct a path analysis model to reveal the methods and timing to best select and overcome different EPIS barriers systematically, especially determining at which stage prioritizing corresponding barriers may lead to the optimal improvement of EPIS’s performance. The barriers categorized in the environmental legal, economic, administrative and public participation institutional subsystems are identified by combining an empirical survey and literature review. A novel path analysis model based on rough DEAMTEL-NK approach is proposed in which the interaction relationship and intensity between barriers are used to construct a heuristic path searching algorithm; the optimal path for overcoming barriers in China’s EPIS is determined by simulating the climbing optimization process of the system on the fitness landscape. The path results show that the defective integration among legislation, plans, and policies and the inadequate environmental economic policy assessment mechanism are the two key barriers that should be prioritized. This study provides a strategic tool or remedial measure for management to better optimize the implementation of the most stringent environmental protection institution and achieve environmental sustainability from the novel perspective of prioritizing approaches to overcoming barriers.