Public Sector Reform in Hong Kong: Key Concepts, Progress-To-Date and Future Directions

This volume brings together, for the first time, a collection of essays on public sector reform in Hong Kong.
Public sector reform has come rather belatedly to Hong Kong, being launched officially since 1989. The underlying themes as well as key initiatives of the reform package are undoubtedly in line with similar reform trends prevailing in Western Europe, North America and the Australasia dating from the rise of privatization policies in governments in these places since the late 1970s.
In Hong Kong, however, little discussion has taken place in the community over the government's guide public sector reform programme. Even within the civil service, interest in the programme has been limited to those senior officers tasked with implementing the reform measures. Little is actually written on the subject which should have important implications for the future shape of public administration in Hong Kong.
Being the first volume of its kind in the local print, this book tries to capture the basic objectives and features of public sector reform as well as raise some fundamental issues and questions for further debate. The chapters are so arranged as to provide multi-dimensional perspectives from local academics, government officials as well as overseas experiences. This book should be of interest to general readers and of particular use to students of government and public administration as well as practitioners in the field.