This paper explores the construction of whiteness, masculinity, and expatriate citizenship in the changing landscape of postcolonial Hong Kong. The context of the Hong Kong Police Force and the ...career of a long-serving senior British officer are used to examine changes in the meanings of whiteness in the new national and organizational contexts which have followed the handover of the Region from the British to the Chinese in 1997. Analysis reveals the place the organization may play in the construction of white identities and privileges and how, in the intersection of organizational practices and policies with personal biography, whiteness may serve to resist broader initiatives for integration. Although in their global mobility white skilled migrants may suggest performances of new cosmopolitan forms of citizenship, this paper argues that shifts towards a postidentity politics of cultural hybridity and integration can seem slow to appear in transnational expatriate contexts.
Abstract Objectives It is widely acknowledged that teachers are suffering from work-related health problems. However, the implementation of relevant occupational safety and health (OSH) policies is ...complex and under-studied. This study reviews key legislation of relevance to psychosocial health and explores stakeholders’ perceptions on their implementation in Hong Kong (HK) schools. Methods The content of OSH legislation applicable to psychosocial health was systematically reviewed by the modified WHO checklist on legislation. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with 38 key stakeholders. These were transcribed and subjected to Framework Analysis. Results The review showed that there were several ambiguities in the legislation and the interviews found that awareness and understanding in relation to OSH issues and policies differed on the basis of the level of implementation bodies. The importance of management, trust, communication and interpersonal relationships was emphasised. Conclusion On the basis of the study it is concluded that implementation of psychosocial health policies in HK schools is poor and there appears to be a gap among stakeholder communication. Also, the content of these policies needs to be clarified so that it can be more conducive to implementation in practice. The improvement of OSH climate and social capital could foster a more effective implementation of OSH policies.
This study examines whether and how political party support shapes interpersonal political discussion. Drawing upon existing research, party support is hypothesized to lead to more frequent political ...discussion and lower levels of disagreement within discussion networks. Party support is also hypothesized to moderate the relationship between news consumption and discussion frequency and the relationship between discussion frequency and disagreement. The analysis further explores if the impact of party support varies according to the parties being supported. The hypotheses and research question were examined using data from representative surveys conducted in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The findings illustrate the importance of political party support in structuring citizens' interpersonal political discussions in the consolidated democracy of Taiwan and, though to a lesser extent, in the semi-democratic environment of Hong Kong. In Taiwan, the impact of discussion frequencies on disagreement in discussion network varies according to the party being supported. Implications of the findings are discussed.
In Edge of Empires, Carroll situates Hong Kong squarely within the framework of both Chinese and British colonial history, while exploring larger questions about the meaning and implications of ...colonialism in modern history.
Since the inception of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1997, the Hong Kong courts have not been short of opportunities to tackle difficult issues concerning civil and ...political rights. In relation to socioeconomic rights, the common conception that these were aspirational and nonjusticiable rights had made them modest grounds of progress until recent years. However, the Hong Kong Court of First Instance in two recent cases has adjudicated on the constitutional protection of social welfare rights in Hong Kong. Adapted from the source document.
There are increasing opportunities in many countries for pre-service teachers to engage in a transnational school-based experience as part of study abroad programmes. The transformative potential of ...such transnational teaching experiences is recorded in research studies, often supported by data from participant surveys. However, there has been a lack of evidence investigating shifts in professional understanding derived from such experiences. This qualitative study addresses this issue by exploring the perspectives of 16 pre-service teachers of English as a Second Language from Hong Kong, who engaged in transnational teaching activities with primary school pupils in Australia during their study abroad programme. Discourse analysis of participants' dialogues traces how they encountered conflicting Discourses of 'student-centredness' in the Australian classroom. Reflecting dialogically on their experiences led participants to negotiate and reframe their understandings of language teaching pedagogy and themselves as language teachers. The findings demonstrate the importance of both peer and lecturer feedback into the process of dialogic reflection and the need for more longitudinal research into the impact of transnational school-based experience in pre-service teacher education.
China's huge trade surplus has attracted much interest around the globe from people of different walks of life. What has contributed to China's trade surplus has been a puzzle. Many researchers have ...attempted to discover the determinants that are responsible for China's trade imbalance but their findings are inconclusive or debatable. This paper offers new insights into the determinants of China's trade balance. In this study, the re-export role of Hong Kong in the trade of China's mainland is examined and the actual level of bilateral trade flows between China and each of its major trading partners is then re-estimated. Both these treatments are the first time employed in the literature, representing a major innovation in studying China's trade balance. The analysis with re-estimated trade data reveals that labour costs, income, foreign direct investment (FDI) and the exchange rate are all important determinants of China's trade surplus. However, the low labour cost has a much greater impact on China's trade surplus, followed by FDI. The exchange rate is also important but not as critical as many others have claimed.
Social Transformations in Chinese Societies is the offi cial annual of The Hong Kong Sociological Association. It publishes articles of original research that addresses theoretical, methodological, ...or substantive issues of sociological signifi cance about social transformations in Chinese societies. The focus is mainly on Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, the Mainland, Singapore, and Chinese overseas.
Work and self-reliance are the core values of neo-liberalist Hong Kong society. When the economy was booming, finding a job was not an issue. The real challenges began in the late 1990s due to ...successive economic crises which led to the adoption of active labour market policies. While social security protection has been provided for the unemployed, workfare and new programmes to encourage employment have been introduced, forming a link between passive and active labour market policies. Ideologically, there has been a further swing from passive welfare protection to active work promotion as the solution to unemployment. However, the passive welfare provision has not been drastically reduced. Expenditure has been maintained, not due to a lack of government resolve but because of the severity of the problems. Furthermore, pragmatic concern for social stability and government legitimacy make it difficult for it to be rolled back.
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