 Andrew C. Mertha and William R. Lowry, Unbuilt Dams: Seminal Events and Policy Change in China, Australia, and the United States In seminal events, not only policy but also the political processes through which policy evolves undergo dramatic, fundamental change. Seminal events are as important as they are uncommon. Why do they occur, and how comparable are they across political systems? These questions are answered through instances where government attempts to build large-scale dam projects were reversed after they aroused opposition and in the process gave birth to modern environmental movements. Two cases in the United States and Australia are a heuristic through which to analyze the case of Dujiangyan in China. The Chinese case parallels the other two and fits within Schattschneider¡¯s notion of ¡°expanding the sphere,¡± suggesting that this framework is not limited by regime type. Substantively, the Chinese state may be fundamentally changing the ways it governs itself. |