TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY

School of Public Policy and Management

Executive Master of Public Administration Programme
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN HONG KONG

Course Teacher: Prof. Peter T.Y. Cheung Email:ptycheung@eduhk.hk;

Course Time: June 5-6 and June 19-20, 2021 87cheung@gmail.com
(9.30 am – 5.30pm)
____________________________________________________________________________

COURSR OBJECTIVE
This course introduces students to the key issues and challenges confronting public
administration and public governance in Hong Kong. By drawing upon the literature in public
policy and public administration, this course will critically examine the different arguments
about the key aspects of governance and administration of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR), such as the principal officials accountability system, the civil
service, public sector reform and civic engagement.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course is organized into two parts. Part one offers an overview of key concepts of
public administration and briefly examines the history and evolution of public administration
from the colonial era to the establishment of the HKSAR in 1997. Part II examines several key
topics in Hong Kong’s public administration and governance: the principal officials
accountability system, the civil service system, the policy process, public sector management
and reform, and civic engagement. This course will also use cases to illustrate the key issues in
public governance in Hong Kong and concludes by exploring the challenges confronting the
future development of Hong Kong in the national, regional and global contexts.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

On completion of the course, students should be able to:
(1) understand the impact of the socio-economic, political and institutional contexts on the
policy process and public administration in Hong Kong;
(2) examine the salient features of the policy process and public administration system in
Hong Kong and assess the policy dynamics and challenges confronting the HKSAR
government;
(3) analyze the strengths and limitations of major scholarly arguments about the challenges
confronting the public sector and governance in Hong Kong; and
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(4) develop analytical skills, research and writing skills, and communication ability.

CLASS ORGANIZATION

Lectures in each class will be interactive, and students are expected to participate actively
in class discussion. They may also be formed into small groups for discussion and presentation
on topics and readings. Students are highly recommended to consult class readings before
coming to class. Lectures constitute around ¾ and class discussion and presentation the
remaining ¼ of each class meeting (3 teaching hour: 3 x 45 minutes).

COURSE ASSESSMENT

This course uses a diversity of assessment: (a) class participation (20%), (b) oral
summary of one reading (10%), (c) group presentation (30%), and one analytical essay (40%).
Active participation in class discussion or small group discussion is expected. Students
also have to orally summarize and discuss one of the readings for class discussion (8-10 minutes)
and prepare a 1-page summary (or 3 PPT slides), and they will be asked to sign up for this
through email.
Group presentation: students should form into 3-4 person groups to give a 20-minute
presentation on one of the topics covered in this course.
Analytical essay: students should write one analytical essay applying a concept or theory
in public policy and public administration to analyze a problem in the public sector in Hong
Kong (minimum 2,000 word in English). The choice of the essay topic must get the teacher’s
prior approval. The papers should be submitted by email to the teacher by 10 am, Aug 31, 2021.
Proper citation styles should be followed. Useful information on writing academic essays and
citation styles can be found in the following sites: Harvard College Writing Center
(https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/overview-academic-essay), Purdue Online Writing
Lab (OWL) (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html) and University of Toronto Writing
Advice (https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/).
Academic integrity should be strictly observed and no plagiarism in any form is allowed.
Students will be penalized or given a failing grade if they are found to have committed plagiarism
in their presentations and essay assignment.
Assessment Methods Assessment Ratio
(%)
Class participation 20
Oral summary of 10
readings
Group presentation 30
Analytical essay 40

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 GENERAL REFERENCES
The following books will provide a general introduction to public policy, public
administration, and public governance in Hong Kong. The required readings are listed under
each topic.
Paul Cairney, Understanding Public Policy: Theory and Issues.2nd ed, London: Red
Globe press, 2020.
George Frederickson, Kevin B. Smith, Christopher W. Larimer and Michael J. Licari,
The Public Administration Theory Primer 2nd ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2012.
Owen E. Hughes, Public Management & Administration 4th ed. London: Palgrave
Macmillian, 2012.
Guy Peters, Advanced Introduction to Public Policy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar,
2015.
Christopher Pollitt, Advanced Introduction to Public Management and Administration.
Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2016.
Ian Scott, The Public Sector in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press,
2010.
For further readings on public policy and public administration, students are encouraged
to consult the following: Eduardo Araral Jr., et. al., eds. Routledge Handbook of Public Policy
(London: Routledge, 2013); Frank Fischer, Gerald J. Miller, and Mara S. Sidney, eds. Handbook
of Public Policy Analysis (London: Taylor & Francis, 2007); Michael Moran, Martin Rein and
Robert E. Goodin, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Public Policy (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2006); B. Guy Peters and Jon Pierre, eds., Handbook of Public Policy (London: Sage,
2006); Paul A. Sabatier, ed. Theories of the Policy Process, 2nd ed. (Boulder, CO: Westview
Press, 2007); and Paul A. Sabatier & Christopher M. Weible, eds., Theories of the Policy Process,
3rd ed. (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2014).
For studies on Hong Kong politics and public administration, students can read the
following: John P. Burns, Government Capacity and the Hong Kong Civil Service (Hong Kong:
Oxford University Press, 2004); Richard C. Bush, Hong Kong in the Shadow of China: Living
with the Leviathan (Washington D.C.: The Brookings Institution Press, 2016); Ming K. Chan,
ed., China’s Hong Kong Transformed Retrospect and Prospects Beyond the First Decade (Hong
Kong: City University of Hong Kong Press, 2008); Joseph Y.S. Cheng, ed. The Second Chief
Executive of Hong Kong SAR: Evaluating the Tsang Years 2005-2012 (Hong Kong: City
University of Hong Kong Press, 2013); Joseph Y.S. Cheng, ed., New Trends of Political
Participation in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong Press, 2014); Brian
C.H. Fong, Hong Kong's Governance under Chinese Sovereignty: the Failure of the State-
business Alliance after 1997 (London: Routledge, 2015). Danny Gittings, Introduction to the
Hong Kong Basic Law, 2nd edition (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2016); Leo F.
Goodstadt, A City Mismanaged: Hong Kong’s Struggle for Survival (Hong Kong: Hong Kong

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University Press, 2018); Lam Wai-man et al., eds., Contemporary Hong Kong Politics,
Expanded 2nd edition (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2012); Lui Tai-lok, Stephen
W.K. Chiu and Ray Yep, eds. Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Hong Kong (London:
Routledge, 2017). Ma Ngok, Political Development in Hong Kong: State, Political Society and
Civil Society (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2007).

TOPICS

I. Overview (June 5, 2021)

Key questions: What are the key concepts and approaches in the study of public administration
and public policy? What are the core values that underpin contemporary public policy and
public administration? How have the key legacies, values and policy traditions of public
administration in Hong Kong in the colonial days affected the post-1997 era?
Owen E. Hughes, Public Management & Administration 4th ed. London: Palgrave
Macmillian, 2012, chs. 2 & 4.
Eliza W.Y. Lee, “History and Context of Public Administration in Hong Kong,” in
Public Administration in Southeast Asia: Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong and
Macau, ed. Evan M. Berman (London: Taylor & Francis, 2010), ch. 12.
B. Guy Peters & Jon Pierre, “Governance and Policy Instruments: Instruments as Unitary
and Mixed Mode of Policy Interventions,” Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration
37, no. 4 (2015): 224–235,

II. Principal Officials Accountability System (June 5, 2021)

Key questions: Has the POAS improved public accountability and enhanced effectiveness in
governance? What are its major achievements and failures?
Mark Bovens et al., “Does Public Accountability Work? An Assessment Tool,” Public
Administration, 86 (2008): 225-242.
Chor-yung Cheung, “How Political Accountability Undermines Public Service Ethics: the
Case of Hong Kong,” Journal of Contemporary China 20 (2011): 219-239.
Eliza W.Y. Lee and Rikkie L.K. Yeung, “The “Principal Officials Accountability System:
Its Underdevelopment as a System of Ministerial Government,” Asia Pacific Journal of Public
Administration, 39 (2017): 120-134.

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III. The Civil Service (June 6, 2021)
Key questions: What are the key strengths and weaknesses of the current civil service system in
Hong Kong? Are the principles of professionalism and political neutrality undermined after
the introduction of the POAS?
Brian Brewer, Joan Y.H. Leung and Ian Scott, “Values in Perspective: Administrative
Ethics and the Hong Kong Public Servant Re-visited,” Administration and Society 46 (2014):
908-928.
John Burns, Li Wei and B. Guy Peters, “Changing Governance Structures and the
Evolution of Public Service Bargains in Hong Kong,” International Review of Administrative
Sciences 79 (2013): 131-148.
Ian Scott, The Public Sector in Hong Kong, chs. 4-5.

IV. The Public Policy Process (June 6, 2021)

Key question: What are the key characteristics of the public policy process in Hong Kong?
What are the key factors that can explain such special features? Can better coordination and
legitimacy be achieved in the policy process?
Anthony B. L. Cheung, “Strong Executive, Weak Capacity: The Changing Policy
Environment in Hong Kong,” Asian Journal of Political Science 12, no 1 (2004): 1-30.

Chor-yung Cheung, “Stalemate in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong,” in Routledge

Handbook of Contemporary Hong Kong, eds. Tai-lok Lui, Stephen W.K. Chiu and Ray Yep
(London: Routledge, 2019), ch. 4.

Wai-Fung Lam, “Coordinating the Government Bureaucracy in Hong Kong: An

Institutional Analysis,” Governance 18 (2005): 633-654.

Ian Scott, The Public Sector in Hong Kong, ch.9.

V. Public Sector Management and Reform (June 19, 2021)

Key question: what are the pros and cons of undertaking NPM reforms in Hong Kong? what
can be learned from some of the recent experiences?
Anthony B.L. Cheung, “Public Governance Reform in Hong Kong: Rebuilding Trust and
Governability,” International Journal of Public Sector Management, 26, no. 5 (2013): 421-
436.

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 Ahmed S. Huque, “Contracting Out and Trust in the Public Sector: Cases of Management
from Hong Kong,” Public Organization Review Vol. 5, no. 1 (2005): 69-84.
Ian Scott, “Organizations in the Public Sector in Hong Kong: Core Government, Quasi-
Government and Private Bodies with Public Functions,” Public Organization Review 3 (2003):
247-267.
Ian Scott, The Public Sector in Hong Kong, ch. 6.

VI. Civic Engagement (June 19, 2021)

Key questions: To what extent is civic engagement an important mechanism in improving the
policy process in Hong Kong? What are the most important lessons that can be drawn from the
experience in engaging the public since 2005?
Elaine Chan & Joseph Chan, “Hong Kong 2007-2017: a Backlash in Civil Society,” Asia
Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 39, no. 2 (2017): 135-152,
Peter T.Y. Cheung, “Civic Engagement in the Policy Process in Hong Kong: Change and
Continuity,” Public Administration and Development, 31, no. 2 (May 2011): 113-121.
Archon Fung, “Varieties of Participation in Complex Governance,” Public
Administration Review 66 (Dec. 2006): 66-75.
John Clayton Thomas. "Citizen, Customer, Partner: Rethinking the Place of the Public in
Public Management." Public Administration Review 73, no. 6 (2013): 786-796.

VII. Hong Kong’s Future Development in the Regional, National and International
Contexts (June 20, 2021)
Key questions: What are the major challenges confronting the public sector and governance in
Hong Kong in view of the Greater Bay Area planning and other national development
strategies such as the One Belt, One Road initiative? How will growing cross-boundary and
global flows (such as people, funds and goods) affect public governance in Hong Kong?
Bie, Jiangbo, Matrin de Jong and Ben Derudder, “Greater Pearl River Delta: Historical
Evolution towards a Global City-Region,” Journal of Urban Technology, 22, 2 (2015), pp. 103-
123.

Sung, Yun-wing, “Becoming Part of One National Economy: Maintaining Two Systems in
the midst of the Rise of China” in Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Hong Kong, eds. Tai-
lok Lui, Stephen W.K. Chiu and Ray Yep (London: Routledge, 2019), ch. 3.

Yu, Hong, “The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area in the Making:
Development Plan and Challenges,” Cambridge Review of International Affairs, (2019): 1-29.

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VIII. Presentations (June 20, 2021)

Students have to do a 15 to 20-minute presentation (group of 3-4 students) on one of the

following topics. This will be followed by 10 minutes of discussion. The PPT of the
presentation should be sent to all classmates and the teachers one day before the presentation.

Presentation Topics

Note: Students are expected to apply the concepts and theories they have learned in the
required and recommended readings to their presentations and address relevant academic
arguments on the subject. Examples should be used to illustrate their observations. However,
they are not expected to present a lot of empirical data for their presentations; rather, they
should be critical and rigorous in their analysis. Some general topics are listed below for
students to consider, but they need to get the prior approval from the teacher if they want to
propose a different topic.

1. What are the key challenges in managing executive-legislative relations in Hong Kong?
Can a new model of “executive-led governance” be developed under the newly
restructured political system?

2. Has civil service neutrality and professionalism been undermined by the introduction of
the Principal Officials Accountability System? How will the newly restructured political
system affect the role of the civil service in governance?

3. Has the POAS improved public accountability in Hong Kong? What are its major
achievements and problems?

4. What are the primary challenges confronting the policy process in Hong Kong? How can
these challenges be addressed? (choose one example)

5. Has civic engagement contributed to better public policy-making and governance in Hong
Kong?

6. Has the introduction of New Public Management (NPM) reforms such as outsourcing and
agencification improved public service delivery in Hong Kong?

7. What are the primary challenges to public policy and governance in Hong Kong arising
from the Greater Bay Area planning? And how can these be tackled? (choose one
example)

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List of Journals
Administration & Society Public Money & Management
Administrative Science Quarterly Public Management Review
American Journal of Political Science Public Organization Review
American Political Science Review Policy and Politics
American Review of Public Administration Policy and Society
Asian Journal of Political Science Policy Sciences
Asia Pacific Journal of Public Policy Studies Journal
Administration Review of Policy Research
Australian Journal of Public Administration Review of Public Personnel Management
British Journal of Political Science Social Policy & Administration
Canadian Public Administration Social Policy and Society
Comparative Political Studies Urban Affairs Review
Comparative Politics Urban Studies
Evaluation Review Voluntas
Environment & Planning (C): Government
and Policy
Governance
International Journal of Urban and
Regional Research
International Public Management Journal
International Review of Administrative
Sciences
Journal of Asian Public Policy
Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis
Journal of European Public Policy
Journal of European Social Policy
Journal of Policy Analysis & Management
Journal of Politics
Journal of Public Administration Research
and Theory
Journal of Public Policy
Journal of Social Policy
Journal of Urban Affairs
Perspectives on Public Management and
Governance
Public Administration: An International
Quarterly
Public Administration and Development
Public Administration Quarterly
Public Administration Review
Public Performance & Management
Review
Public Budgeting & Finance