This book discusses the policy and public health challenges in Hong Kong from the perspective of economic and social welfare challenges, specifically focusing on the poverty and inequality research supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) Charities Trust. Conducted by Prof Yip and his research team at the HKJC's Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong across a five-year period, the book presents analyses based on high quality statistical data to explore some of the socioeconomic roots of the civil unrest in 2019, while also acknowledging the limitations and challenges of trying to build a stronger society under the constraints of the One Country Two Systems policy. Building on extensive research done by the research team and some governmental data, it provides concrete, evidence-based suggestions for reducing poverty in a high-income society, which are useful not only for Hong Kong but also for other societies experiencing similar challenges. It makes an original contribution to research into inequalities, poverty and social policies, and will be of interest to those seeking to understand the ongoing political challenges in Hong Kong and how they relate to the socioeconomic challenges and policies that affect the everyday lives of ordinary people there. It is relevant to academics, students and policymakers concerned with social inequalities and policy intervention.

Hong Kong has remained a wealthy financial hub despite its exportoriented economy being adversely interrupted by the challenging global economic uncertainties and vulnerabilities that have occurred since the late 1990s. Yet, Hong Kong's income inequality is greater than that in any developed economy. The growing unequal income distribution and poverty in Hong Kong have aroused public concern. This book is a timely and important opportunity to advance the theory and practice of poverty and social exclusion measurement, and to conduct policy relevant analyses in Hong Kong. This collection was inspired by the workshop formed one key research output of the Poverty and Social Exclusion in Hong Kong (PSEHK) project funded by the Research Grants Council and the UK Economic and Social Research Council. It is hoped that this collection will inspire comparative research and policy analyses for better policy initiatives.

This book discusses the policy and public health challenges in Hong Kong from the perspective of economic and social welfare challenges, specifically focusing on the poverty and inequality research supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) Charities Trust. Conducted by Prof Yip and his research team at the HKJC’s Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at the University of Hong Kong across a five-year period, the book presents analyses based on high quality statistical data to explore some of the socioeconomic roots of the civil unrest in 2019, while also acknowledging the limitations and challenges of trying to build a stronger society under the constraints of the One Country Two Systems policy. Building on extensive research done by the research team and some governmental data, it provides concrete, evidence-based suggestions for reducing poverty in a high-income society, which are useful not only for Hong Kong but also for other societies experiencing similar challenges. It makes an original contribution to research into inequalities, poverty and social policies, and will be of interest to those seeking to understand the ongoing political challenges in Hong Kong and how they relate to the socioeconomic challenges and policies that affect the everyday lives of ordinary people there. It is relevant to academics, students and policymakers concerned with social inequalities and policy intervention.

This collection of essays critically examines the major social issues in Hong Kong. The topics covered include the distribution of power in society, political development and democratization, community politics, poverty, sexual inequality, and the working environment, collective violence, ageing, pornography, and mental illness. The authors, all members of the teaching staff at the University of Hong Kong, bring to the discussion of these topics their expertise in a variety of fields--psychology, sociology, social work, and psychiatry.

This book provides an anatomy of Hong Kong's 2019-2020 social unrest, which has significantly damaged its economy and image. A coalition of Opposition to the Communist Party of China (CPC) emerged in Hong Kong after the 1989 Tiananmen Square Incident. The Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution which took effect in 1997, defined 'one country, two systems' in Hong Kong but inadvertently installed an 'opposition politics' system that the city was unfamiliar with. Fresh out of a colonial system, Hong Kong did not have the socio-ecological system to hold politicians accountable for their policies. For more than two decades, the tug of war between the Opposition and all other politicians has been delivering inconsistent public policies raising the costs of living and income disparity while hollowing out job opportunities. As a result, the younger generations have been immensely hurt. Meanwhile, the Opposition Camp has been promoting the blame narrative that the CPC is chipping away at Hong Kong's democracy and freedom. While the narrative's empirical evidence is weak and its linkage to Hong Kong's economic grievances is absent, the Opposition Camp has fallen captive to the narrative in the sense that its legitimacy is now tied to the narrative.For more than twenty years, rallies built on the blame narrative have profoundly influenced the development of people who grew up after 1997. Furthermore, the year-long unrest has socialised many more to adopt the narrative. The younger generations have been hurt by inconsistent public policies, and on top of that, the blame narrative has robbed them of any coherent social identity; and finally, the unrest has further dimmed their future. Hong Kong is now facing the problem of how to reincorporate a significant portion among its younger generations into mainstream society. This book offers in-depth analyses of the journey, identifies government and societal failures, and suggests long- and short-term policy directions.

Social Development in Hong Kong: The Unfinished Agenda introduces the Social Development Index, the unique model used to measure Hong Kong's social development changes, and offers an in-depth assessment of the major findings resulting from its application. With twenty-four chapters written by local specialists, the volume reports on progress in critical sectors such as health, education, housing, transport, arts and culture, and science and technology, and also assesses Hong Kong's response to the social development needs of vulnerable population groups such as children, youth, the aged, women, and people living in low-income households.

When discussing inequality and poverty in Hong Kong, scholars and politicians often focus on the failures of government policy and push for an increase in social welfare. Richard Wong argues in Fixing Inequality in Hong Kong that universal retirement support, minimum wage, and standard hours of work are of limited effect in alleviating inequality. By comparing Hong Kong with Singapore, he points out that Hong Kong needs a new and long-term strategy on human resource policy. He recommends more investment in education, starting with early education and immigration policy reforms to attract highly educated and skilled people to join the workforce. In analyzing what causes inequality, this book ties disparate issues together into a coherent framework, such as Hong Kong's aging population, lack of investment in human capital, and family breakdowns. Rising divorce rates among low-income households have created a shortage of housing, driving rents and property prices upwards, and enlarging the wealth gap between those who own housing and those who do not, thus causing intergenerational upward mobility. This is the third of Richard Wong's collections of articles on society and economy in Hong Kong. Diversity and Occasional Anarchy and Hong Kong Land for Hong Kong People, published by Hong Kong University Press in 2013 and 2015 respectively, discuss growing contradictions in Hong Kong's economy and current housing problems as well as their solutions.