Statutory Bodies and Performance Reporting: Hong Kong and Singapore Experience

Performance reporting involving performance indicators has been adopted by statutory bodies in Hong Kong and Singapore as a means of improving their accountability. This development has considerable promise, but how has it affected the autonomy of statutory bodies and has it benefited other stakeholders? On the bases of a questionnaire survey and a content analysis of relevant websites, this article finds that any increased operational autonomy enjoyed by statutory bodies as a result of performance reporting arrangements has had only a negligible impact on the participation of citizens in the affairs of those bodies and on their accountability to citizens.     

Shifting Concepts of Autonomy in the Hong Kong Hospital Authority

The Hong Kong Hospital Authority is the main provider of public health care services in Hong Kong. It operates 41 public hospitals, 74 general out-patient clinics and 45 specialist out-patient clinics. This article examines the reason for its establishment as a statutory body in 1990 and offers an assessment of its success in meeting the goals of the reformers. A belief that health care service delivery would be improved is largely supported by the evidence, but this may have more to do with budget and policy consistency than management autonomy and flexibility. Statutory independence, with its promise of improved efficiency, has its limits in the highly complex field of health where there are multiple players and where professional autonomy remains a key claim. In recent times, the authority has been subject to several reform attempts and, together with the SARS epidemic in 2003, these have had a significant impact on its organizational structure and practices, in particular, on its degrees of autonomy.

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Statutory Bodies: How Distinctive and In What Ways?

This article sets the organizational scene for the symposium. It does this by addressing statutory bodies, first in terms of their distinctive statutory foundations, and thereafter with reference to arrangements which they have in common with other types of organizations. Their distinctiveness results from the required legislative action, coupled with forms of political maneuvering and policy analysis. Their other features include their structures, ownership, work, legal power and relationships. Overall, they are legitimate, purposeful and responsible entities with a need to respond to various integration and autonomy arenas in which they are located.     

How Autonomous are Public Corporations in Hong Kong? The Case of the Airport Authority

This article examines the degree of autonomy of Hong Kong’s Airport Authority (AA). Traditionally, airport management in Hong Kong was the responsibility of the government’s Civil Aviation Department. The AA was established in 1995 to manage the new international airport at Chek Lap Kok which opened in 1998. It was expected to run as a commercial enterprise but, because of its strategic importance, there was concern that it should not become an independent empire detached from government control. As a hybrid type of organization, the AA has moved steadily towards full commercialization. The government has also put its privatization on the agenda. Its transformation may have some implications for the redefinition of the future autonomy boundaries of public corporations in Hong Kong.

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Integration and Autonomy in Organizational Governance: A Comparative Study of Two Government-Owned Railways in Hong Kong

This article identifies the patterns of integration and autonomy in organizational governance in two government-owned railways in Hong Kong in relation to relevant external and internal actors from the government, market and civil society. The Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation, a government department turned into a statutory corporation, and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited, a statutory corporation turned into a listed company, are both profitable enterprises. They have been subjected to similar macro-governance influences (mainly political and policy changes), but their patterns of integration and autonomy with relevant actors in organizational governance are not the same. The historical variations in the integration-autonomy patterns, notably an increased tendency for government intervention, as well as major differences between the two railways in their relationships with market and civil society actors, can often be explained by three interrelated factors, namely, political conditions, community expectations and performance.

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Financial Reforms of Statutory Bodies in Singapore: Control and Autonomy in a Centralized State

This article explores the major financial reforms of both government-funded and self-funded statutory bodies in Singapore over the last 7 years. The reforms have been based on two models of administrative reform: the business enterprise model and the bureaucratic efficiency model. In accordance with the business enterprise model, changes have been made to place statutory bodies on a more commercial footing, requiring them to adopt the financial and management practices found in business enterprises and, in doing so, to become more financially self-reliant. The autonomy expected to flow from these reforms has been circumscribed by the retention of key decision-making responsibilities and veto powers at the center of government. The reforms thus indicate ambivalence in the thinking of political and administrative leaders in relation to the management of statutory bodies, allowing them greater freedom as business-like enterprises, but still subjecting them to centrally imposed restrictions and directives.     

Organizations in the Public Sector in Hong Kong: Core Government, Quasi-Government and Private Bodies with Public Functions

Twenty-five years ago, the Hong Kong government was lauded as the model of a small, restricted government which was most suited to capitalist economic growth. Since that time, the government and the organizations which it has created have expanded to such an extent that there has been widespread concern that the public sector has grown too large. This article examines the reasons for the rapid growth in the size of the public sector, reflects on the organizational forms outside the traditional civil service that have been adopted, and analyzes the attempts that have been made to reduce the public bureaucracy by corporatizing and privatizing some of the services that it provides. Central to the argument presented is the question of whether an ideological commitment to small government or other functional and political factors have been the critical determinants of organizational change.     

One Government,Multiple Systems: Hong Kong Public Administration in Transition

This study addresses the impact of a transformative political event—the reversion of sovereign authority—on the policy-making roles of public organizations and public administrators in Hong Kong. With the transfer of sovereignty, the environment of public administration in Hong Kong became increasingly politicized. Civil servants now encounter pressures and conflicting demands from Beijing, from pro-democracy forces, from the Chief Executive, from members of the Legislative Council, and from the business community. Although the public bureaucracy retains its policy-making preeminence, its authority no longer is unquestioned and unchecked. The Central Government exerts hidden influence. Members of the Legislative Council are striving to become respected players in the policy-formulation process. The Chief Executive aims to introduce means of ensuring heightened bureaucratic responsiveness. The result has been a fragmented and volatile political-administrative environment. In the ongoing transition from colonial to reunited polity, the Special Administrative Region's one government is composed of competing systems of governance superimposed uncomfortably and inconclusively upon one another. The most probable governance outcome, at least until the possible popular election of a Chief Executive and Legislative Council on a competitive political-party basis in 2007, is for fragmentation, role conflict, and interest-accommodation to continue to characterize the policy-making process in the SAR.     

Statutory Bodies, Land Use Planning and Conservation in Singapore: Issues and Challenges for Governability

This article discusses the dynamics of state–society interactions with regard to land use planning policy and its effect on nature conservation where ministries and statutory boards represent the government and environmental NGOs embody civil society. It examines the role of three statutory boards in the campaign against the de-gazetting of the Lower Peirce Reservoir Catchment Area (1990–1992), and considers the impact of the issue on future relationships between the government, the statutory boards and the NGOs. Although the campaign did not appear to diminish the integration of the statutory boards with their parent ministries, the common ground that they shared with environmental NGOs was often at variance with the positions taken by the ministries. The tensions between integration and autonomy and between accountability and independence, and the ways in which they were resolved, have important implications for the role which statutory bodies can play and, more widely, for Singapore's system of governance.     

Death preparation and anxiety: a survey in Hong Kong

This study reports the results of a survey on death preparation, death-related beliefs, and death anxiety in a Hong Kong sample. Respondents (N = 285) recruited from the community were asked if they have prepared for themselves a life insurance, a will, and a resting place (e.g. burial site, columbarium, etc.). Questions about their death-related cultural beliefs and anxiety were also asked. Results indicated that respondents who have thought of preparing for their own deaths but not yet acted out (contemplators) held stronger traditional cultural beliefs about death than respondents who have either done the preparations (planners) or never thought of the idea (non-contemplators). Contemplators also reported higher death anxiety. Despite limitations of the study's design, the current results suggest the beliefs in cultural taboo may play a role in the preparation for one's death.     

Managing Integrity: The Regulation of Post Public Employment in Britain and Hong Kong

In this article, we examine the regulatory mechanisms governing post public employment in Britain and Hong Kong in the context of changing views on how integrity should be managed in their civil services. In both places, new public management practices have increased the possibility of ‘soft’ conflicts of interest which in turn has resulted in debates over the necessary degree of regulation, the organizational form that this should take, and the extent to which ethical concerns should be more focused on the communication and inculcation of core values in civil servants. We argue that the difficulty of regulating ‘soft’ conflicts of interests is driving moves toward the greater centralisation of ethical regulation in both Britain and Hong Kong and that there appears to be a return to more traditional ways of managing integrity.

沪、深股票市场与香港股票市场的溢出效应——基于发布“港股直通车”方案前后的比较分析

本文以沪、深、港三地股票市场的数据为样本,用VAR模型和二元GARCH模型重点研究"港股直通车"事件是否对港市与沪、深股市的收益率及波动溢出关系有显著影响.研究结果表明,"港股直通车"公布之前,港市与沪、深股市间不存在任何方向的收益率溢出效应,但存在单向波动溢出效应;"港股直通车"公布之后.港市与沪、深股市间不仅存在单向收益率溢出效应,港市与沪市间还存在双向波动溢出效应,与深市间则存在单向波动溢出效应.     

The Use of Management Contracts for Construction in Hong Kong

A traditional construction contract requires all detail design works to be completed before tendering and subsequentconstruction works can commence, and therefore requires a longer time for project completion. This paper describes ahence reduce project duration. There are advantages in management contracting, but there are disadvantages too. They arediscussed in detail in this paper. Two management contracts executed in Hong Kong are used as case studies to illustrate thesaid advantages and disadvantages. Conclusion is then made and possible further research work is also suggested.     

How Security Agencies Control Change: Executive Power and the Quest for Autonomy in the FBI and CIA

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency gain autonomy when they exercise executive power, performing tasks that are so urgent, secretive, or forceful that they cannot be anticipated by law. The FBI exhibited a clear instance of autonomy when, with a view to its long term responsibilities, it resisted remaking itself as a counterterrorism agency to the degree that politicians requested. The second case, involving the CIA, produced more mixed results. The agency appeared to exhibit autonomy by exercising its powerful security tasks, including control over information and covert operations, and by resisting a consensus for major organizational change. Nevertheless, its large number of administrative and analytical rather than executive tasks prevented the agency from developing the coherent, independent perspective necessary for a high degree of true autonomy.

Accountability in the Shadow of Hierarchy: The Horizontal Accountability of Agencies

In the Netherlands, new accountability arrangements are created as remedies for the accountability deficit of agencies. These arrangements are of a ‘horizontal’ nature, as the agencies account for their behaviour towards accountees that are not their hierarchical superiors: clients, stakeholders or peers. This paper provides an inventory and qualitative assessment of horizontal accountability arrangements. It is argued that they have added value because they stimulate learning. However, horizontal accountability is not a substitute for hierarchical accountability. Horizontal accountability arrangements operate ‘in the shadow of hierarchy’: they gain significance through complex interactions with traditional forms of accountability.

Contracting Out and Trust in the Public Sector: Cases of Management from Hong Kong

Contracting out generates competition and market discipline that is expected help reduce cost and improve the quality of the services. Several problems were detected in contract management of the Hong Kong Housing Authority and they were related to decision-making, monitoring, evaluation and the system of accountability. An examination based on the principal-agent perspective reveals several pitfalls of contracting out in the public sector. A lack of coordination, eagerness to cut costs by accepting the lowest tender bids, improper project supervision, and inadequate manpower resulted in serious problems. This paper suggests a more careful approach to the award of contracts, monitoring and quality assurance as well as the inculcation of a spirit of trust and cooperation between the principal and agent, instead of the customary adversarial approach.     

卖空制度、流动性与信息不对称问题研究——香港市场的个案

应用香港市场的案例,研究了引入卖空制度后个股的交易活跃程度、流动性、波动性与信息不对称的变化,提出了噪声交易者假说,即引入卖空制度后重要的变化是噪声交易者会出于对更高亏损可能的担心而退出交易或变得谨慎.实证结果发现:引入卖空制度会带来交易活跃程度下降、流动性下降以及信息不对称水平升高.同时,通过对知情交易概率(PIN)...     

集装箱港口预测研究方法: 香港港实证研究

基于系统科学理论基础及港口经济理论,构建了港口系统研究分析框架． 该分析框架反映了港口复杂系统的整个系统特性、功能和空间结构特征,归纳了港口系统管理和运行的整体性及其与系统各部分的相互关系． 不仅能够构成特殊的研究和认识港口系统的棱镜,而且还有着重大的研究港口系统方法论的价值． 其次,基于所构建的港口系统研究分析框架,设计了基于TIE@I 方法论的港口系统集成预测研究方法． 对香港港集装箱运量的预测研究结果表明,基于TEI@I 方法论的港口系统集成预测研究方法的预测效果远远优于其它模型的预测效果．     

集装箱港口预测研究方法:香港港实证研究

基于系统科学理论基础及港口经济理论,构建了港口系统研究分析框架.该分析框架反映了港口复杂系统的整个系统特性、功能和空间结构特征,归纳了港口系统管理和运行的整体性及其与系统各部分的相互关系.不仅能够构成特殊的研究和认识港口系统的棱镜,而且还有着重大的研究港口系统方法论的价值.其次,基于所构建的港口系统研究分析框架,设计了基于TIE@Ⅰ方法论的港口系统集成预测研究方法.对香港港集装箱运量的预测研究结果表明,基于TEI@Ⅰ方法论的港口系统集成预测研究方法的预测效果远远优于其它模型的预测效果.     

利率期货推出对现货市场的冲击效应——基于香港市场的经验证据

新兴市场利率期货的引进,对现货市场的动态波动和信息传递一定的冲击效应。本文针对香港市场90天利率期货,应用自回归条件异方差模型(GARCH)和方差比模型(VR),检验利率期货推出前后对现货市场的波动冲击与消息传递效果。实证结果显示,利率期货推出后波动性干扰所造成的影响效果有更快速地向正常水平调整的现象,波动性干扰半衰期大幅减小,但波动率显著增加。同时,利率期货引入后现货市场的收益率序列几乎接近于随机游走过程,所有的信息都立即反映在价格上,信息传递效率提高。