Performance Evaluation of Governance Mechanisms of Hazardous Waste Recycling in Rural China: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis Based on Multiple Cases.

The article focuses on the governance mechanisms of hazardous waste recycling in rural China, analyzing 22 case studies across Eastern, Central, and Western regions through a participatory governance framework and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). It identifies four key capital elements—policy, material, human, and social capital—that interact within a dual principal-agent structure involving grassroots governments, cooperatives, village organizations, and villagers. The study reveals three effective governance pathways: socially driven, market-oriented, and system participation, with the latter integrating party organizations, cooperatives, and villagers under government guidance to form a comprehensive and sustainable recycling model. The findings highlight the importance of coordinated multi-actor participation supported by policy capital to overcome challenges such as collusion and resource constraints, offering insights relevant to both domestic rural ecological revitalization and global environmental governance.