Electoral politics in post-1997 Hong Kong : protest, patronage, and the media

This book offers a novel and parsimonious framework to help understand Hong Kong’s lengthy democratic transition by analyzing the electoral dynamics of the city’s competitive authoritarian political system, where pro-Beijing and pro-democracy parties have struggled to keep each other in check. The author demonstrates how a relatively liberal media environment has shaped the electoral incentives of the opposition and the pro-establishment elite differently, which has helped the latter improve its basis of electoral support. The political explanation the book puts forward seeks to shed new light on why many autocracies are interested in regularly holding elections that are considered somewhat competitive. This book will be of great interest not only to specialists in comparative studies of democratization, but also to all those concerned with Hong Kong’s democratic transition. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-20 Protest and Patronage: A Theory of Electoral Contest in Competitive Authoritarianism....Pages 21-44 Birds in a Cage: Political Institutions and Civil Society in Hong Kong....Pages 45-68 Power to the People: Changing Electoral Strategies of the Prodemocracy Opposition Elite....Pages 69-95 All Politics Is Local: Grassroots Strategy of Beijing-Sponsored Parties....Pages 97-130 Surrounding the Cities from the Countryside: An Empirical Assessment of the Electoral Effects....Pages 131-148 Elephants Versus Termites: Lessons from Hong Kong....Pages 149-162 Back Matter....Pages 163-180