The introduction of elections to district advisory bodies during the early 1980s was expected to improve the public delivery of services. However, as time passed, electoral politics led to party politics, elite fragmentation and political struggles. Politicization and hyper-politicization in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has brought about a fluctuating pattern between administrative recentralization, the Tsang administration’s attempts at decentralization, and the post-2019 administrative recentralization. The purpose of this book is to study the intertwining relationship between district administration and electoral politics. It also examines the political transformation of District Councils after the promulgation of the National Security Law in late June 2020. Written by experts in the field, this book is a good reference source for readers interested in district elections, politics, and administration in Hong Kong.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the election of the Hong Kong Legislative Council in May 1998, which was the first general election in Hong Kong since the change of sovereignty to China in 1997. The election was conducted in the wake of the government's mismanagement of health policy and other aspects of public concern and amid widespread hardships inflicted by the Asian financial crisis. Nevertheless, the election still had the highest turnout rate in Hong Kong's entire history. The elected legislature replaced the Provisional Legislative Council, which was a product of the Sino-British conflict before the change-over. However, as a result of institutional design and electoral outcome, this duly-elected Legislative Council has been fragmented and weak in its legislative and supervisory powers; and therefore there are long-term implications for the governance of Hong Kong in general and for the executive-legislative relations in particular. Contributors to this volume are renowned scholars in Hong Kong studies. The various aspects of the 1998 legislative election are critically examined to ascertain their exact meanings and to clarify doubts. Questions such as the following are properly addressed Did the transfer of sovereignty have any impact on the systems of election, representation, and authority? What was the impact of institutional change on the conduct of electoral campaigns? Did the end of colonialism and the advent of "one country, two systems" help to activate Hong Kong voters who were once dubbed "attentive spectators"? Did the "China factor" which had been influential in the 1991 and 1995 elections give way to other electoral divisions?Did the mass media properly perform their roles during the election? Does the emergence of class and economic issues during the election signify a new era of "political normalization"? Will the now legitimately constituted Legislative Council have political clout? What is in store for the future?

The study of patron-client politics is new to the study of Hong Kong political science. This book examines whether patron-client relations are critical to the electoral victory of candidates; how the political elites cultivate support from clients in order to obtain more votes during local elections; and tests the extent to which whether patron-client relations are crucial in order for candidates to obtain more ballots during elections. Covering patron-client politics and public administration in Hong Kong; the electoral dynamics including the Chief Executive elections and the Legislative Council elections; the cooptation of key elites by using patron-client mechanism; the study of the committees and elites who have been politically co-opted; the appointment mechanisms that have played a crucial role in patron-clientelism; and finally the China factor in the entire processes and politics of patron-client politics. Bruce Kwong finds that the better candidates cultivate patron-client relations, the greater their chance of winning the election; and the smaller the size of the electoral constituency, the greater the impact of patron-client relations. Finally, the book stresses the role of Beijing as a powerful patron shaping the Hong Kong Chief Executive and the latter’s clients and analyzes the political implications and long-term consequences of patron-client politics in Hong Kong.

This volume analyzes the political development in Hong Kong in chronological order from the Sino-British negotiations till today. It focuses on the rule of the British administration before 1997; the Chinese leadership's policy towards Hong Kong; the changing attitudes and values of the Hong Kong people; the evolution of the pro-democracy movement in the territory; and the international environment affecting the Hong Kong situation.The author engages in detailed studies of the important events such as the Sino-British negotiations (1982-84), the impact of the Tiananmen Incident (1989), the protests against the Article 23 legislation (2003), and the Occupation Campaign (2014). At the same time, the author examines in depth the emergence and development of political parties in the territory; the strategies and tactics of the pro-Beijing united front; the results of important elections; the trends of public opinion as reflected by polls; and the development of civil society and its relationship with the political parties.As a key activist in the peaceful pro-democracy movement throughout the decades, the author has a deep insider's understanding of Hong Kong's political development which is presented and analyzed in the framework of academic analysis. Care has been taken to provide detailed sources which include many interviews of important parties.Related Link(s)

Examines whether patron-client relations are critical to the electoral victory of candidates; how the political elites cultivate support from clients in order to obtain more votes during local elections; and tests the extent to which whether patron-client relations are crucial in order for candidates to obtain more ballots during elections.

This book offers a novel and parsimonious framework to help understand Hong Kong’s lengthy democratic transition by analyzing the electoral dynamics of the city’s competitive authoritarian political system, where pro-Beijing and pro-democracy parties have struggled to keep each other in check. The author demonstrates how a relatively liberal media environment has shaped the electoral incentives of the opposition and the pro-establishment elite differently, which has helped the latter improve its basis of electoral support. The political explanation the book puts forward seeks to shed new light on why many autocracies are interested in regularly holding elections that are considered somewhat competitive. This book will be of great interest not only to specialists in comparative studies of democratization, but also to all those concerned with Hong Kong’s democratic transition.

This title describes the present political system and development in Hong Kong. The second edition assesses the main strands of continuity and change in Hong Kong's government and politics since the creation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1997.