Political context, policy networks and policy change: the complexity of transition in Hong Kong

Author: Ng, Kai Hon

Source: The Pacific Review, Volume 20, Number 1, March 2007 , pp. 101-126(26)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Central to the debates on the transition of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty is how this process has affected change in the policy process and policy outputs. Many see policy change as a result of the evolving political environment in Hong Kong following the political transition. This article, however, adopts the notion of policy networks and argues that the analysis of policy change cannot be reduced to a simple contextual stimulus - the policy alteration model. A case study - 'the development of civic education' - demonstrates the importance of policy networks, as a particular structure of government and group relations in decision making, in explaining the course of policy change. It is apparent that the relationship between regime change and political liberalization, on the one hand, and established networks, on the other, tends to be complex and dialectical in Hong Kong. Despite the importance of sovereignty transition and political restructuring, the effect of contextual factors on public policy greatly depends on the nature of the network involved.

Keywords: Hong Kong; regime change; political liberalization; policy network; policy change; civic education

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09512740601133245

Affiliations: 1: University of York, University of Sheffield,

Publication date: 2007-03-01

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