Public Administration Research in Hong Kong and Macau

Abstract

The East Asian city-states of Hong Kong and Macau have followed different transitional trajectories after their return to China in the late 1990s under the political framework of “one country, two systems.” This article reviews the public administration research literature published in Hong Kong and Macau between 1999 and 2009 as a means of examining how public administration developed in the two city-states in the post-handover period and the ways in which those developments affected the study of public administration in the two jurisdictions. The review findings reveal differences between the two cities. In general, studies of Hong Kong are more engaged in testing and building theories, use rigorous methodologies, adopt a comparative outlook, and have received far better funding support than studies conducted in Macau. In Macau, the focus is different as the public administration community seeks to foster closer research-practice interaction between academicians and practitioners. However, in both communities, research studies are often descriptive. In conclusion, it is argued that more can be done to advance the study of public administration in these East Asian city-states.