Repositioning the Hong Kong Government : Social Foundations and Political Challenges

The relationship between government and society in Hong Kong has become an intensely debated topic as the complexities of governance grow and the old strategies of consensus building without genuine public participation fail to satisfy. Increasingly interventionist, yet lacking democratic credentials, the Hong Kong SAR government finds itself more and more limited in its capacity to implement policies and less able to rely on traditional allies. A society dissatisfied with old forms of governance has become ever more ready to mobilize itself outside of the formal political structures. This collection of studies by leading scholars examines the Hong Kong government's efforts to reposition itself in the economy and society under the pressures of globalization, economic and political restructuring and the rise of the civil society. Drawing on changing theoretical conceptions of state, market and citizenship and on comparisons with other Asian economies,Repositioning the Hong Kong Governmentoffers new interpretations of the problems of governance in Hong Kong and puts forward positive suggestions for resolving them. Annotation This book is a rare collection of the best and latest studies on how the Hong Kong government is repositioning itself in the economy and society under the pressures of globalization, economic restructuring and the rise of the civil society. The Hong Kong authors of the volume are all the leding scholars in the study of the SAR's society and politics. Starting from a consideration of the relevant issues from a comparative angle by a world classscholar in the field and also a case study of the South Korean studies, the papers in the volume ponders on the changing style of governance of the Hong Kong government, the reorganization of the governing coalition, and the impacts of the rise of civil society on the social foundation of governance. The authors then move on to a discussion of selected key policy areas, namely, housing policies and on the government's management of the crossborder relations. Key questions addressed in the volume include: What are the social and political bases for the government's particular style and approach to governance? What are the social forces driving the reposition of the Hong Kong government in the society? What are the impacts of the rise of civil society on the governance? From such key policy areas as housing and crossborder relations? What are the key parameters that shaped the continuity and changes in the government's approaches? It will be relevant to scholars, students and policy-makers who are interested in the areas of Hong Kong society and politics, comparative studies of East Asian societies, globalization and local politics, and state-society relations The relationship between government and society in Hong Kong has become an intensely debated topic as the complexities of governance grow and the old strategies of consensus building without genuine public participation fail to satisfy. Lacking democratic credentials, the Hong Kong SAR government finds itself more and more limited in its capacity to implement policies and less able to rely on traditional allies. A society dissatisfied with old forms of governance has become ever more ready to mobilize itself outside of the formal political structures. This collection by leading scholars examines the Hong Kong government's efforts to reposition itself in the economy and society under the pressures of globalization, economic and political restructuring and the rise of civil society. Drawing on changing theoretical conceptions of state, market and citizenship, Repositioning the Hong Kong Government offers new interpretations of the problems of governance in Hong Kong and puts forward positive suggestions for resolving them. Repositioning the Hong Kong Government will be essential reading for scholars, students and policy-makers with an interest in Hong Kong society and politics, and to scholars of East Asian societies, globalization, and state-society relations. Contrary to popular mythology that upheavals of epic proportions would mark the end of the millennium, the twenty-first century actually dawned far less spectacularly than the doomsayers had predicted. Yet, it proved no less eventful as we all know. In particular, the world has witnessed a number of dramatic changes over the past few decades that have reverberated throughout the globe the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact bloc undoubtedly the most dramatic. The acceleration of the process of global integration turns out to be equally consequential, especially in the realms of economic flows since roughly the same time as the fall of the Berlin Wall. Stepping into the new century, we also witnessed the unprecedented September 11 terrorist attack upon the USA homeland in 2001 and rising tension between the Islamic and Anglo-American worlds Contents Series foreword Acknowledgements Contributors Introduction: Repositioning the post-colonial Hong Kong government 1. What will the twenty-first-century developmental state look like? 2. State-market realignment in post-crises East Asia 3. Eclectic corporatism and state interventions in post-colonial Hong Kong 4. Governance crisis and changing state-business relations 5. The development of citizenship in Hong Kong 6. Civil society organizations and local governance in Hong Kong 7. Housing policy at a crossroad? 8. The role of government in managing cross-boundary co-operation between Hong Kong and mainland China Notes References Index Repositioning the Hong Kong Government is a timely discussion on the topic as the complexities of governance in Hong Kong grow and the old strategies of consensus building without genuine public participation fail to satisfy. The volume examines the Hong Kong government's efforts to reposition itself in the economy and society under the pressures of globalization, economic and political restructuring and the rise of civil society. The leading scholars offer new interpretations of the problems and puts forward positive suggestions for resolving them