Talk: Is Hong Kong Still Governable?

Hong Kong’s political system is widely perceived as dysfunctional, for which many political commentators blame the post-colonial constitutional arrangements. Officials and business leaders, however, identify other culprits –– “confrontational” politicians, “populist” vote-seekers and the media –– who distract from the needs of a flourishing economy. Mr. Leo F. Goodstadt will argue that the political environment does not make a breakdown in governability inevitable. He will discuss why the community increasingly regards official policy proposals as remote from its aspirations and how power-holders forfeit credibility by persistently under-estimating the sophistication of Hong Kong’s people and their expectations of excellence from the public sector.

This talk was organised by the Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong.