Social Security Policy in Hong Kong: From British Colony to China's Special Administrative Region

(Hardback)

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For more than four decades, free market economists and right-wing politicians have touted Hong Kong as a model of capitalism and a market economy success story. Social Security Policy in Hong Kong: From British Colony to Special Administrative Region of China, by Chak Kwan Chan, argues that Hong Kong's capitalism is not the result of democratic choice but the consequence of an administrative-led polity that has had suppressed democracy, limited trade unions' activities, and manipulated traditional Chinese welfare ideologies to maintain a small government. Social Security Policy in Hong Kong is the first book that systematically analyzes the dynamic relationships between Hong Kong's polity, Chinese welfare ideologies, and social security provisions from British colonial rule to China's special administrative region.

Reviews

Chak Kwan Chans Social Security in Hong Kong is a well-written book on Hong Kongs social welfare policies. ... [T]his is an informative book which serves as a useful textbook or background reference for the study of Hong Kong society. * The China Journal *
In this very well-written and richly detailed analysis, Chak Kwan Chan offers a convincing argument to explain why Hong Kong's social welfare system has remained highly residual as a result of skillful manipulation by colonial officials on traditional Chinese family values. The author's insightful analysis on the political economy of social welfare makes a significant contribution to the literature on East Asian social policy and social development. It should be widely read in the academic and policy communities. -- James Lee, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
[This] is among a handful of studies that have paid attention to the role of European imperialism in social welfare and should inspire more research into this neglected topic. It also offers important insights of relevance to social security policy in other parts of the world as well. -- James Midgley, University of California, Berkeley
The book is probably the best I have read about social policy in Hong Kong. Tracing welfare development in Hong Kong, the author discusses the influence of traditional Chinese values on welfare, the interplay between British colonialism and Chinese socialism, and the striving of the local Hong Kong people to develop a system that links up welfare and democracy. -- Nelson Chow, University of Hong Kong
Social Security Policy in Hong Kong is undoubtedly the outstanding book on social security and the nature of the welfare system in Hong Kong. The book makes accessible a mountain of evidence and is essential reading for anyone interested in social policy in Hong Kong and China. -- Alan Walker, University of Sheffield

Author Bio

Chak Kwan Chan is reader in social policy at Nottingham Trent University.