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Public Service Neutrality in Hong Kong: Problems and Prospects
Author(s) -
Cheung Choryung
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
australian journal of public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-8500
pISSN - 0313-6647
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8500.2009.00619.x
Subject(s) - neutrality , civil servants , politics , government (linguistics) , context (archaeology) , civil service , power (physics) , public administration , public service , corporate governance , service (business) , political science , civil society , sociology , law , business , economics , management , marketing , history , philosophy , linguistics , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics
Before 2002, Hong Kong's higher civil servants were required to play the dual role of quasi‐ministers and civil servants. In such a context, can we make sense of the claim that Hong Kong's civil service has all along been politically neutral? What role has neutrality played in the governance of Hong Kong? Informed by Kernaghan's model of political neutrality and Oakeshott's idea of civil association, this article argues that the public service should not be regarded solely as an effective instrument of the government in power. In conclusion, this article proposes some institutional measures to strengthen the neutrality of the public service in Hong Kong and argues that properly understanding this will help prevent excessive or illegitimate partisan political power.