Effect of the River Chief System on river pollution control under ‘Responsibility Contracting’: lessons and experiences from China

Based on whether the ‘One River, One Policy’ is implemented or not, this paper used the questionnaire data of village (community) river chiefs in nine districts and counties under the jurisdiction of Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, and used the Difference-In-Differences Model to carry out an empirical analysis. The findings are threefold. Firstly, the ‘One River, One Policy’ implemented by primary river chiefs can improve the water quality of the river reaches in their charge. Secondly, annual river patrol times and public support can improve the water quality of the river reaches in charge of primary river chiefs. Thirdly, the River Chief System (RCS) can promote the treatment of river pollution under ‘Responsibility Contracting’, but for primary river chiefs, there is still a suspicion of whitewash pollution control behavior, so whether to establish a long-term mechanism of the RCS is still uncertain. The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical support and decision-making reference for constructing the positive incentive mechanism of the behavior of primary river chiefs in the reconstruction of the RCS, which has important practical significance for effectively improving the RCS and comprehensively promoting the Chinese experiences of river pollution control.