Contesting Visions of Hong Kong’s Rule of Law and Young People’s Political Discontent

Lee, Man Yee Karen; Lo, Yan Lam

doi:10.1177/0964663920912492

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Rudolph and Evans (2005) find that “the effects of political trust on support for government spending are moderated by ideology” (p. 660); consistent with this finding, political–ideological variables have been used in Hong Kong–based studies about social policy and welfare (M. Y. H. Wong 2020; He 2018; Tam 2003) and institutional legitimacy (M. Y. K. Lee and Lo 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 74%

Public Trust and Political Legitimacy in the Smart City: A Reckoning for Technocracy

Hartley

2021

Science, Technology, & Human Values

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The 2020 introduction by China’s central government of a national security law (NSL) in Hong Kong marked a watershed moment in the social and political history of the semiautonomous city. The law emerged after months of street protests that reflected declining public trust in Hong Kong’s government. Against this turbulent backdrop, Hong Kong’s policy projects moved forward, including smart city development. This article explores public trust in and political legitimacy of Hong Kong’s smart cities endeavors in the period leading up to the introduction of the NSL. At a theoretical level, the smart cities phenomenon invites critical reflection about tensions between technocracy and democracy, but this topic remains largely unexploited by empirical literature. Using survey data from 1,017 residents, this study identifies confidence in the benefits of smart cities but lesser trust in privacy and security and lesser satisfaction with participation opportunities in related policymaking. Probing these dynamics, the study finds that trust in smart city mechanics and governance associate positively with support for smart cities, controlling for ideology and issue awareness. Illuminating a theoretical and practical puzzle, these findings contribute empirically to discussions about the political legitimacy of scientific, technological, and technocratic undertakings in the public sector.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 74%

Public Trust and Political Legitimacy in the Smart City: A Reckoning for Technocracy

Hartley

2021

Science, Technology, & Human Values

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“…Diminishing public trust and confidence in the legal system may also mean rising concerns about Hong Kong’s declining autonomy and a gradual loss of advantages and opportunities in international finance and business. Moreover, distrust in legal and political authorities has been widely suggested to lead to a lower level of compliance with the law among the general public (Lee & Lo, 2020 ; Tyler, 2001 ). Under the new era of national security, some kinds of behavior—for example, the publication of “seditious” children’s books (The Guardian, 2021 )—may result in previously unthought of criminal liabilities, and may therefore prompt some individuals to consider migration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hong Kong’s new wave of migration: socio-political factors of individuals’ intention to emigrate

Chan

Cheung

Chong

et al. 2022

CMS

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With a recent surge in the outward movement of the population, a new wave of emigration has been suggested to have started in Hong Kong. It is speculated that recent socio-political changes in Hong Kong may have contributed to this phenomenon. Therefore, five socio-political variables—mobility, sense of place, trust and confidence in the law and the legal system, global citizenship, and perception of inequality—are employed in this study as proposed determinants to investigate the intention of Hong Kong residents to migrate to mainland China and to other international destinations. A random telephone questionnaire survey representative of the local population was conducted, with a total of 801 valid samples collected. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was carried out. The results showed that all five proposed socio-political variables successfully predicted people’s migration intention to mainland China and to foreign countries, with important variations between the two choices. Our results carry strong implications for understanding people’s concerns behind their intention to emigrate. Further, our findings present a challenge for Hong Kong; society may gradually be failing to accommodate individuals with diverse perceptions and values, particularly in terms of trust and confidence in the law and the legal system, and individuals’ sense of global citizenship.

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“…Under the principle of “One Country Two Systems”, convergence between Mainland China and Hong Kong has gradually emerged, and this has brought about a challenging social environment in Hong Kong (Day and Fiske, 2017 ). During this process, growing controversies in social and political issues have emerged, resulting in several mass demonstrations against government policies since 2011 (Lee and Lo, 2020 ). The government believes that, in addition to political factors, the causes of these demonstrations are closely related to internal and external social, economic, and environmental factors, such as the Mainland China-Hong Kong convergence (CHC), Hong Kong’s economic transformation, and global economic instability (Information Services Department, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young people’s perceptions of the challenges and opportunities during the Mainland China–Hong Kong convergence

Chan

Lee

et al. 2023

Humanit Soc Sci Commun

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Since the handover of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997, convergence between Mainland China and Hong Kong has gradually emerged. During this process, young people have engaged in demonstrations to express their dissatisfaction with government policies and limited socio-economic progression. However, the underlying reasons for their dissatisfaction have not been fully investigated. This study investigates their perceived challenges and opportunities during the convergence, with the objective of identifying the factors affecting the Mainland China–Hong Kong convergence and examining young people’s perceived challenges and opportunities during the convergence. Mixed research methods of focus groups and a survey were adopted. Ten focus groups with 83 participants were conducted to collect qualitative data on the factors relating to convergence. Based on the qualitative data, a questionnaire was constructed to investigate young people’s perceived challenges and opportunities during the convergence, using a sample of 1253 young people. Ordinary least-squares regression was applied to analyse the relationships among identified factors. The study found that Hong Kong’s youth tended to regard the Mainland China–Hong Kong convergence as an opportunity for socio-economic progression, and they identified three challenges during the convergence. It also revealed that young people’s higher education, perceived housing challenges, and perceived socio-economic challenges are negatively related to the convergence, whereas their perceived challenges associated with entrepreneurship and innovation are positively related to the convergence. The development of more well-balanced and mutually beneficial policies that satisfy the needs of young people will lead to a higher acceptance of the convergence. As such, young people will be more willing to embrace the opportunities and face the challenges brought about by the convergence, resulting in a more harmonious society and socio-economic progression.

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Contesting Visions of Hong Kong’s Rule of Law and Young People’s Political Discontent

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

Public Trust and Political Legitimacy in the Smart City: A Reckoning for Technocracy

Public Trust and Political Legitimacy in the Smart City: A Reckoning for Technocracy

Hong Kong’s new wave of migration: socio-political factors of individuals’ intention to emigrate

Young people’s perceptions of the challenges and opportunities during the Mainland China–Hong Kong convergence

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