Exploring Hong Kong Nonprofit Education Programs

Abstract

The nonprofit sector in Hong Kong has developed under unique historical circumstances, including the introduction of the nonintervention policy by the British colonialism and the political transition to the Chinese government in 1997. These historical developments obviously had an impact on the development and expansion of the nonprofit sector within Hong Kong and the requisite qualifications for nonprofit employees that have been in a continuous state of flux. For example, during the 1960s, social work education in Hong Kong was developed through the influence of the professionalization movement in human service organizations, which encouraged the development of nonprofit education in Hong Kong. This study was undertaken to identify NPO/NGO degree programs at the university level in Hong Kong along with their curricula, finding 20 NPO/NGO degree programs within seven universities in Hong Kong including a total of 163 listed courses. The results show that NPO/NGO education programs in Hong Kong were developed based on an interdisciplinary perspective, that the programs highlight service provision and advocacy, while the Greater China regional contents, such as cultural, historical aspects of the Greater China, are reflected in the programs.