The nature of social services in Hong Kong

This paper aims to study the nature of social services in Hong Kong. It argues that the Hong Kong government regards social services mainly as a means of promoting capital accumulation and political legitimacy. It does not treat the promotion of social services as an end itself. While the government devotes increasing amounts of money to social services, it prevents them from challenging the capitalist economy and authoritarian polity; it has established the prohibited areas of strong government, low direct tax rates, surplus budget policy and the dominance of economic policy over social policy. These prohibited areas show that while the Hong Kong government does not follow closely the laissez-faire ideal, the private market and market values have important influence on the government's policy.