Abstract
A vibrant civil society, composed of active non-governmental organizations (NGOs), has always been identified as an important factor for governance. This paper reports a pilot study using semi-structured interviews to find out the contribution of advocacy NGOs in the of Hong Kong. It points out that the NGO's conception of good in the Hong Kong context, as revealed by the findings, comprises inter alia: legitimacy obtained through democratic elections, ability to realize the autonomy of the HKSAR, and proper checks and balances not just within the government but also about the possible domination of business interest in the government's policy making process. It further reveals how NGOs can contribute to governance by nurturing a democratic culture through civic education in schools. Hopefully this paper can be of reference value to the international audience as it reflects how the worldwide criteria of good are reflected in the context of Hong Kong, a special administrative region with a high degree of autonomy where the building up of a truly democratic government is yet to be realized.
Highlights
In the 21st century, there has been worldwide recognition that without active citizenship, which comprises both voting and active participation in civil society, democratic governance is fragile
The non-governmental organizations (NGOs)’s conception of good governance in the Hong Kong context, as revealed by data obtained in this study, comprises inter alia: legitimacy obtained through democratic elections, ability to realize the autonomy of the HKSAR, and proper checks and balances not just within the government and about the possible domination of business interest in the government’s policy making process
This reflects the worldwide criteria of good governance in the first place and the uniqueness of Hong Kong as a special administrative region with a high degree of autonomy on the other, the building up of a truly democratic government is yet to be realized
Summary
In the 21st century, there has been worldwide recognition that without active citizenship, which comprises both voting and active participation in civil society, democratic governance is fragile. The paper starts with a brief review of literature on the meanings of governance, characteristics of good governance, meanings of civil society, and the relationship between civil society and governance. This is followed by a brief discussion of the Hong Kong context and the civil society in Hong Kong. The initial findings of the study will be discussed, revealing the NGOs’ understanding of good governance, which are manifested through their comments on the Hong Kong government, alongside with how the NGOs can contribute to ‘good governance’ through citizenship education in shaping a participatory culture. Given the limitations of case studies, in the ability to make generalization, it is hoped that the findings of the paper could add values to the literature and policy formulation related to the relationship between governance and NGOs, both locally and internationally
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