Will Democracy Win?

In reviewing the articles in this collection, four models of electoral participation are presented. Resources, party mobilization, electoral competition, and civic virtues are each important in driving turnout. Yet recent findings attest to the unique contribution of personality psychology in making sense of citizens' preferences and voting. A congruency-efficacy model is presented to account for both political preference and political participation and, ultimately, for voting. A cross-national and comparative view is recommended to fully appreciate the complexities of engagement in the key democratic process of voting.     

Required civics courses,civics exams,and voter turnout

Despite attempts at using civic education to increase the civic engagement of young people, education policy is slow to adopt the recommendations of research and great variation exists within the United States in how schools deliver civics instruction. We hypothesize that when states make civics requirements more uniform and demanding, statewide civic participation among young people increases. Using state-level data about civic education requirements and voter registration and turnout from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), we find no evidence that a mandated civics course increases registration or turnout, but we do find a positive relationship between having a state-mandated civics exam and both registration and turnout among young people. We conclude that accountability policies could make a difference in the delivery of civic education at the state level.     

Disenfranchised Not ‘Deficient‘: How the (Neoliberal) State Disenfranchises Young People

Young people's declining electoral participation has been considered a problem in a range of democracies, including Australia. In this paper I examine youth electoral participation through the eyes and voices of young marginalised Australians. In the policy arena young people's electoral participation is usually considered a subject for education policy. Here I make the case for considering it as an issue for social policy, and as a welfare issue. In this context I examine the effects of neoliberalism and Australia's shrinking welfare state on young people's citizenship and ability to access the franchise. Whilst acknowledging the liberal roots of neoliberalism I argue that whereas the neoliberal state identifies young people's political disengagement as a problem, and constructs participation using the language of ‘choice‘, that its own social policies act to create barriers to the franchise for young people and thus effectively disenfranchise them.     

Citizenship,Civic Engagement and Property Ownership

In this paper we examine the relationship between citizenship, civic engagement and property ownership in Australia. We draw upon nationally representative survey data to examine this relationship by focusing upon empirically accessible issues. We examine the civic implications of different housing tenures, or what Troy (2000) refers to as the level of ‘citizen competence‘, and the tension between (private) ownership and (public) engagement in terms of membership and participation in a range of clubs and organisations. Lower levels of participation in charitable organisations among mortgage holders compared to people in other housing tenures questions the link between home buying (that is equated with private ownership), and a strengthening of community life. However, low participation rates in a clubs and organisations by public tenants, indicates that levels of social exclusion are higher in ‘residual’ public housing communities.     

Multicultural social work practice and South Asian migrants in Hong Kong

This paper explores how multicultural social work responds to the needs and structural issues faced by South Asian migrants in Hong Kong. Three working approaches, namely, the problem-solving approach, the strengths-based approach, and the rights-based approach are identified from our empirical data. The analyses demonstrate the generally insufficient awareness of the practice in critically addressing existing policies and power relations based on race. Moreover, there is a lack of critical reflection on the notion of culture and social workers’ ethnocentric biases. This paper argues that this insufficient awareness could lead to reinforcement of the existing social exclusion of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. Using Hong Kong as an example, this paper reflects on the implications of applying Western-based literature and practice model in a non-Western society.     

人们如何卷入公共参与事件——基于广州市恩宁路改造中公民行动的分析

本文旨在探讨是什么使得公民卷入现实的公共参与网络,影响这种公共参与的行动力、持续性和影响力的因素是什么。基于对广州市恩宁路改造中公民参与的研究,本文发现,虚拟社区虽然拓展了人们的现实联系,因其动员的广泛性而推动了公共参与的兴起,但能否转化为现实中有影响力的持续公共参与行动还与线下的联络和动员机制及其特性密切相关：基于人际网络的联络和动员推动了公共参与行动的行动力及其持续性,开放的城市空间则为这种现实的参与行动拓展了影响力。本文对不同联络和动员机制的区分,有助于从“历时性”和“差异化参与”的角度解释公民参与在转型期中国的发展。     

Renewed Conception of Harmonious Society,Governance, and Citizenship – Evidence from the Study of Chinese Perceptions in Hong Kong

This paper aims at constructing a modern theoretical conception of a harmonious society and testing it in relation to governance and citizenship rights, based on an empirical study of Chinese people’s perceptions in Hong Kong. It is proposed that a harmonious society can be defined as “a society in which the component parts are integrative and cooperative; even if there is conflict, it can be resolved within the established mechanisms and does not interrupt the orderly functioning of society.” This study investigates the social, economic, and political aspects and their related institutions in the renewed conception of harmonious society. Overall, less than two‐fifths of the respondents felt that Hong Kong was a harmonious society. The strength of governance in Hong Kong is its sound and trustworthy institutions; the weaker elements are social and interpersonal relations. This finding is in contrast to the traditional notion, which regards social harmony as harmonious social and interpersonal relationships. It is clear that the greatest challenge for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is the need to rebalance the interests of big business and those of labor and the lower class in order to enhance the perception of a harmonious society among its citizens.     

CEPA之后港产合拍片中的内地人形象分析

CEPA之后,港产合拍片中的内地人形象较之以往发生了很大变化,主要表现为以下两类:时尚与现代的都市"新移民"以及传统伦理价值观的守护者。某种程度上而言,这两种形象都是对内地人的美化和天使化,究其原因在于回归后港人国族认同意识的日益增强以及香港电影对广大内地市场的依赖与迎合。合拍片中内地人形象的凸显对于促进两地演技人才交流以及加强两岸同胞的文化认同起到了重要的作用,但同时也存在一些问题,值得我们关注和反思。     

A systematic review of studies on ethnic minority youth development in Hong Kong: an application of the ecological framework

Abstract

Ethnic minority young people play a significant role in the socio-economic growth of an ageing society with a decreasing fertility rate. The successful social integration of individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds within a society is a core value of the social work profession. This study examines the understanding of ethnic minority youth development in Hong Kong using a systematic review methodology. Risk prevention and positive promotion factors were identified using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework. Articles were searched through multiple databases in English, and 36 academic articles were reviewed. These studies mainly examined the risks of academic failure of these students in Hong Kong while few focused on the positive directions of multidimensional youth development. Future social work research and practice should examine positive youth development for ethnic minorities which can inform social work practice in Hong Kong and within other East Asian traditionally ethnically homogeneous societies undergoing significant changes in ethnic diversity.     

香港市民阶层流动意识探析:结构与认同下难圆的“香港梦”

1960年代香港经济的腾飞给香港市民带来了乐观的阶层流动意识,“香港梦”成了描述香港社会阶层结构相对开放的一个大众话语。但1980年代中期以来,阶层结构进入一个稳定的时期,客观的远距离阶层流动消失,这种乐观感也随之消失,1990年代的金融风暴和住房泡沫的破灭,使香港进入了一个“中下流”社会。本文基于阶层化的理论,以经验数据为准,发现中下层的市民客观阶层与主观阶层定位都处于低下地位,而拥有比较悲观的向上流动意识,这反过来又制约他们向上流动,“香港梦”失去了现实的社会基础。     

Family Resources,Gender, and Immigration: Changing Sources of Hong Kong Educational Inequality, 1971–2001*

Objective. This study gauged the impact of government‐led educational expansion on Hong Kong's social stratification over a 30‐year period. The historically close state control over school supply in Hong Kong allows us to test the effectiveness of public policy in changing the transmission of advantages across generations. Methods. I analyzed household‐level census data from 1971, 1981, 1991, and 2001. Interviews and documents were also used to illuminate reasons for trends during this period. Results. There was a diminishing role of family resources and gender on access to all levels of schooling until 1991. From 1991 through 2001, however, there was a reversal of this trend at the postsecondary level, as access to university education became more dependent on family resources. In addition, new immigrants from mainland China were at an increased disadvantage. Conclusions. Hong Kong's current plan to create a second tier of self‐supporting postsecondary institutions will exacerbate the tendency toward unequal university access, and is also likely to segregate new arrivals from mainland China.     

中国城市社区选举的想象：从功能阐释到过程分析

一、引言 进入20世纪90年代,随着传统意义上的单位制度的解体,以及与 市场经济发展相伴而来的城市社会变迁,中国城市的观察者们开始把 着眼点从宏大的国家与社会的关系微缩到一个更为基本的问题意识中 去,亦即"公共领域、城市空间和市民生活的生长"(Davis et al.,     

Leading Article: Welfare Development in the Midst of Political Uncertainty

On 1st July 1997 Hong Kong will be transformed from a British colony into a Special Administration Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China. Although the Basic Law, a mini-constitution for the future SAR government, states that “Hong Kong's capitalist system and lifestyle will remain unchanged for 50 years after the establishment of the SAR”, changes are perceived to be inevitable, not least in respect of the welfare policies to be implemented by the future SAR government. Indeed, since the signing of the Joint Declaration in 1984 between the British and Chinese Governments on the future of Hong Kong, the existing Colonial Government has been enlarging its role in the social services and making relevant policies more responsive to the needs of the people. These reforms have largely been carried out in line with the democratization process which Hong Kong has been undergoing in recent years. To what extent will these changes in welfare policies continue after 1997? It is argued here that with the enlargement of democracy, and especially the establishment of political parties claiming to represent the interests of the people, it would no longer be possible for Hong Kong to return to residual-type welfare programmes. While it would be unlikely for Hong Kong to develop into a “welfare state”, the future development of social services in Hong Kong would probably command widest acceptance if policies keep in line with the prevalent welfare ideology which stresses, on the one hand, the self-reliance of the people and, on the other, the responsibility of government to look after weaker members.     

Administrative Buy-in for User Participation in Managing Social Services

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study conducted in Hong Kong on the value position of the social service providers regarding user participation in service management. Using a survey instrument to collect data from 642 service providers in an elderly service organization, the study explored whether or not the value position had an effect on the views of the service providers on the structural set-up for user participation, and whether the value position of the professional staff was significantly different from that of the non-professional staff. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA), confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied in the analysis. The findings identify that administrative buy-in needed to support shared decision-making with the welfare service users has not been achieved in the studied organization, owing to the absence of value commitment to the user participation cause. As the professional staff was more supportive of values favoring user participation, the paper calls for an acculturation process that would be stimulated and led by professionals to develop a participatory culture. The paper also recommends conducting similar study on a larger scale and qualitative inquiry into factors influencing the formation of values about user participation in future research.     

Economic and political conditions and modern and postmodern value orientations of Hong Kong citizens

There is no research evidence concerning relationships between individuals’ modern and postmodern value orientations and their perceptions of modern and postmodern economic and political conditions. To examine the relationship, the present study surveyed 1,008 Chinese adult citizens in Hong Kong, 2000. Results of structural equation modeling indicate that citizens’ perceptions of modern (postmodern) economic and political conditions had significant positive effects on their modern (postmodern) value orientations. These effects may reflect people’s conformity to perceived societal norms about modern or postmodern conditions. Meanwhile, they reveal that there were weak effects of modern (postmodern) value orientations on perceptions of modern (postmodern) conditions.     

A Natural Locally-Based Networking Approach for Singleton Disabled Elderly: Implementation and Case Illustration

Correspondence to Dr. Yip Kam-shing, Associate Professor, Department of Applied Social Studies, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. E-mail: SSKSYIP{at}POLYU.EDU.HK Summary Hong Kong is a high industralized and commercialized city-sizedregion. Within such a business-orientated and competitive lifestyle,the elderly usually are the ones who have poor social supportand social networks. Many singleton elderly lead lonely liveswithin the community. The Good Neighbour Centre of the UnitedChristian Nethersole Community Health Service in Hong Kong hasimplemented a natural locality-based supportive networking approachfor disabled singleton elderly in a public estate (1991-2000).As part of this approach, various psycho-social interventionswere developed over nine years to strengthen mutual supportamong neighbours, able-bodied elderly, outpatients sufferingfrom mental illness and volunteers who were matched and integratedwith the disabled singleton elderly person to form a locality-basednaturally supporting community. Different stages of developinga natural, supportive community by networking were identifiedin this project: network assessment, network matching, networkformation and network strengthening. The concepts of stableand constant mutual support, mutual development and mutual concernwere stressed. Feedback from stakeholders was encouraging andthe demonstrated improvement in the functional and psycho-socialwell-being of disabled singleton elderly and mental health outpatientswas impressive and clear. Also, according to the principlesof the strengths perspective, the approach was strength oriented,that is it cultivated the potential strengths within a locally-basedcommunity: challenging the care and concern of members withinthe community through the loneliness of singleton elderly; developingthe mutual support and nurturing new supportive resources withina locally-based community. Further research may help to consolidatethe effectiveness of this approach through new strategies.     

市场社会中社会参与的路径问题——关系信任还是普遍信任

已有研究多数认为市场经济、社会参与有助于普遍信任的建立,“关系”则阻碍这种信任的形成。基于CGSS2005数据,本文应用结构方程模型和多层次线性模型分析了市场经济、社会参与和关系信任对普遍信任的多重影响。研究表明：以亲属信任为核心的关系信任对普遍信任具有消极影响;当社会组织成员间信任仍是一种关系信任时,社会参与对普遍信任也呈现出消极作用;市场经济发展能够提高普遍信任,但同时推动了“关系”的使用,从而使得当代中国的市场经济与普遍信任间存在着相反的双向影响。因此,在经济建设中必须进一步推动社会参与。社会参与不仅仅要关注于组织的增长,也需要在制度层面上给予“跨关系”成员交往更多的支持。     

Factors associated with the preventive healthcare service use among older adults in Korea: Focusing on age variation

The importance of preventive health examinations for older adults has been well emphasized due to an increase in chronic diseases associated with age. In this study, we estimated the preventive health examination participation rate and its associated factors among the elderly with specific focuses on the moderating effects between age and socioeconomic status. We used data drawn from the first to sixth waves (4164 people) of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging for the elderly aged 65 and over. A generalized linear model was used to address research questions. The results showed that the participation rate decreased as older adults age. The interaction between age and education was also significant, indicating that older adults with higher education were more likely to use a preventive health examination compared to those with lower education. There were no significant interaction effects between income and age. Based on the findings, implications for theory and practice were discussed with specific focuses on age‐specific approaches in preventive healthcare services for older adults.     

Integrated Group Program for Improving Sleep Quality of Elderly People

ABSTRACT

This article reports an exploratory study on the effects of an integrated group program for improving the sleep quality of elderly people in Hong Kong. Elderly people aged over 55 who had obtained a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score >5 were recruited as subjects of the study. While 19 subjects of the treatment group were taking part in an integrated group program involving social group work intervention as well as Chinese medicine therapeutics, 9 subjects of comparison group received no intervention. Using a pretest and posttest design, the study revealed positive effects of the integrated group program. It has added knowledge serving the development of interventions that can help to improve the sleep quality of elderly people.     

院舍照顾视角下的香港养老服务

在香港,"照顾长者"已成为政府的策略性政策目标之一。社区支援服务和院舍照顾服务成为香港安老服务体系的重要支柱。如今,香港院舍照顾服务已形成了规范化、标准化和专业化的特点,拥有较为成熟的运作机制。与其他学者对香港养老服务的探讨不同,本文从院舍照顾视角出发,将院舍照顾作为一个单独的子系统进行分析,对香港院舍照顾服务的发展、运营及管理等方面进行深入分析,并提出对内地机构养老服务发展的借鉴意义。