Exploring 'Unseen' Social Capital in Community Participation: Everyday Lives of Poor Mainland Chinese Migrants in Hong Kong

220 Pages·2007·3.63 MB·English

by  Sam Wong

Publications Series
Monographs 2 Exploring ‘Unseen’
Exploring ‘Unseen’ Exploring ‘Unseen’
Social Capital
This book argues that using social capital to eradicate poverty is less likely to succeed
because the mainstream neo-institutional approach mistakenly assumes that social in Community
capital necessarily benefts poor people. This inadequacy calls for a re-assessment of
Social Capital in Social Capital in Com-
human motivations, institutional dynamics and structural complexity in social capital
building. Participation
Exploring ‘Unseen’ Social Capital in Community Participation: Everyday Lives of Poor
Mainland Chinese Migrants in Hong Kong proposes a ‘pro-poor’ social capital perspective,
highlighting poverty-specifc outcomes in collective action. The ‘agency-institution- Everyday Lives of Poor
structure’ framework is suggested in order to explore the mechanisms facilitating and
constraining different groups of poor people in gaining access to social capital. Mainland Chinese Migrants
Using ethnographic and participatory methods, this book calls for an exploration of
‘unseen’ social capital which is intended to chalenge the mainstream understanding of in Hong Kong
‘seen’ social capital. ‘Unseen’ social capital highlights the nature of everyday co-operation
which is shaped by social norms, infuenced by conscious and less-conscious motivations,
and subject to livelihood priority changes. As such this book is useful to policy makers Sam Wong
and practitioners.
Sam Wong is lecturer in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds,
UK. He obtained the ICAS Book Prize ‘Best Dissertation Award’ at ICAS 4 in Shanghai
in 2005. Previously working as a journalist in Hong Kong, he obtained the ‘Best PhD
Thesis’ Award by the International Institute for Asian Studies in 2005.
‘Sam Wong presents a rich, readable and thought provoking account
of the differential patterning of social capital amongst Chinese
migrants in Hong Kong.’
Dr. Frances Cleaver, Senior Lecturer, Bradford Centre for
International Development, University of Bradford, UK
‘Sam Wong’s work brings a sorely-needed fresh perspective to
thinking about social capital – how it works and who it works for –
that moves away from preoccupations solely with civic organisations
to focus on everyday dynamic interactions between agency, structure
and institution.’
Prof. Rosalind Edwards, Director of the Families and Social Capital
ESRC Research Group, London South Bank University
www.aup.nl ISBN 978 90 5356 034 1
ICAS_series_cover_Wong.indd 1 06-07-2007 11:10:50
Exploring ‘Unseen’ Social Capital
Sam Wong
in Community Participation
Exploring ‘Unseen’ Social Capital in Community Participation
Publications Series
General Editor Paul van der Velde
The ICAS Publications Series consists of Monographs, Edited Volumes and Pro-
ceedings of ICAS. The Series takes a multidisciplinary approach to issues of inter-
regional and multilateral importance for Asia in a global context. The Series aims
to stimulate dialogue amongst scholars and civil society groups at the local, regio-
nal and international levels.
The International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) was founded in 1997. Its
main goals are to transcend the boundaries between disciplines, between nations
studied, and between the geographic origins of the Asia scholars involved. ICAS
has grown into the largest biennial Asia studies event outside the US covering all
subjects of Asia studies. So far five editions of ICAS have been held respectively
in Leiden (1998), Berlin (2001), Singapore (2003), Shanghai (2005) and Kuala
Lumpur (2007). In 2001 the ICAS secretariat was founded which guarantees the
continuity of the ICAS process. In 2004 the ICAS Book Prize (IBP) was estab-
lished in order to create by way of a global competition both an international fo-
cus for publications on Asia while at the same time increasing their visibility
worldwide. Also in 2005 the ICAS Publications Series were established.
For more information: www.icassecretariat.org
Exploring ‘Unseen’ Social
Capital in Community
Participation
Everyday Lives of Poor Mainland
Chinese Migrants in Hong Kong
Sam Wong
Publications Series
Monographs 2
Cover design: JB&A raster grafisch ontwerp, Delft
Layout: The DocWorkers, Almere
ISBN 978 90 5356 034 1
NUR 741 / 763
© ICAS / Amsterdam University Press, 2007
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright re-
served above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or in-
troduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise)
without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the
author of the book.
Summary contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
1 Building a ‘Pro-Poor’ Social Capital Framework
2 Ethnography – Alternative Research Methodology
3 Historical and Cultural Contexts of Mainland Chinese Migrants
in Hong Kong
4 Investing in Social Capital? – Considering the Paradoxes of
Agency in Social Exchange
5 ‘Getting the Social Relations Right’? – Understanding
Institutional Plurality and Dynamics
6 Rethinking Authority and Power in the Structures of Relations
7 Conclusions and Policy Implications
Notes
Bibliography
Annex 1
Annex 2
Detailed contents
Acknowledgements 13
Preface 15
1 Building a ‘Pro-Poor’ Social Capital Framework 17
1.1 What this book is about 17
1.2 Theorising social capital 19
1.2.1 Collective action theories 20
1.2.2 First-generation collective action model 21
1.2.3 Second-generation collective action model 23
1.2.4 Ostrom’s collective action model 24
1.2.5 Design Principles 25
1.2.6 Neo-institutional thinking 26
1.2.7 Institutional evolutionism and transferability 28
1.2.8 Bottom-up, community-based participation 29
1.3 Criticisms 29
1.3.1 Ambiguous intentionality: shifting from interest-
to norm-driven? 30
1.3.2 Over-simplification of institutions 31
1.3.3 Inadequate social construction of authority 32
1.3.4 Methodological limitations 33
1.4 Alternative perspective to social capital building 34
1.4.1 Turning to social theories 35
1.4.2 Agency-institution-structure framework 37
1.4.2.1 Agency 37
1.4.2.2 Institution 38
1.4.2.3 Structure 39
1.4.3 Understanding ‘unseen’ social capital 39
1.5 Research methodology and contexts 41
1.5.1 Profile of migrant groups and research areas 43
1.6 Chapter map 44
2 Ethnography – Alternative Research Methodology 47
2.1 Objectives 47
8 DETAILED CONTENTS
2.2 Research questions 48
2.3 Ethnographic research 49
2.3.1 Limitations of current quantitative approach 49
2.3.2 What is ethnography? 50
2.3.3 How is ethnography relevant to social capital study? 51
2.3.4 Realism 52
2.4 Case studies approach 53
2.4.1 Migrant groups 56
2.4.2 Clan associations 57
2.5 Research methods 58
2.5.1 Natural observation 58
2.5.2 Participant observation 59
2.5.2.1 Negotiating physical access 59
2.5.2.2 Data recording and analysis 60
2.5.2.3 Reflections on participant observations 61
2.5.3 Interviews 62
2.5.3.1 Life course approach 63
2.5.3.2 Key informant/ key player interviews 64
2.5.4.3 Reflections on interviews 65
2.6 Validity, reflexivity and research limitations 67
2.6.1 External and internal validity 67
2.6.2 Gender and identity 69
2.6.3 Ethical issues 70
2.6.4 Limitations of my research 70
3 Historical and Cultural Contexts of Mainland Chinese
Migrants in Hong Kong 73
3.1 Introduction 73
3.2 The history of Chinese migrants in Hong Kong 74
3.2.1 Open and closed border (1945-1960) 74
3.2.2 Touch-base policy (1960-1980) 75
3.2.3 One-way permit quota system (1980-1990) 77
3.2.3.1 Adjustment policy and split family phenomenon 77
3.2.3.2 Economic restructuring 78
3.2.3.3 The rise of the Hong Kong identity 79
3.2.4 Last decade of British rule (1990-1997) 80
3.2.4.1 NGOs challenge assimilation policy 80
3.2.4.2 Paradoxes of community participation 81
3.2.5 Post-Handover stage (1997-present) 82
3.2.5.1 Community Investment and Inclusion Fund 83
3.2.5.2 Citizen rights, empowerment and the feminist
movement 85
3.3 Social relations, culture and subjectivity 85
DETAILED CONTENTS 9
3.3.1 Informal social networks 86
3.3.2 Strong Chinese familism and face-saving mentality 86
3.3.3 Implications for collective action 88
3.4 Neighbourhood 89
3.4.1 Geographical location 89
3.4.2 Physical infrastructure and social participation 90
3.4.3 Social relations between family members 91
3.4.4 Avoiding neighbourly contacts as a strategy 92
3.5 Gender and authority 92
3.5.1 Ideal form of collective action 93
3.5.2 Complexity of gender relations 94
3.6 Migrant subjectivity and experience 94
3.7 Conclusions 95
4 Investing in Social Capital? – Considering the Paradoxes
of Agency in Social Exchange 97
4.1 Introduction 97
4.2 Modelling of incentives in the mainstream social
capital model 98
4.2.1 Strategic agency 98
4.2.2 Linear transformation of agency 99
4.2.3 Individualised and optimistic agency 99
4.3 Complexity of motivations 100
4.3.1 Wider motivations in decision making 101
4.3.2 The complex reasoning of agency 102
4.4 Agent subjectivity 104
4.4.1 Disinvesting in neighbourhood 105
4.4.2 Undeletable nature of social capital 106
4.5 Routine, habit and precedent 106
4.5.1 People routinely trust others 107
4.5.2 The conflict-avoiding nature of routine 108
4.6 Injecting agency into livelihoods 108
4.6.1 Relational reasoning of agency 108
4.6.2 Changing social networks and priorities 110
4.7 Romanticising equal negotiation 112
4.7.1 Social meanings of gift-exchange 112
4.7.2 Limited negotiation 114
4.8 Putting agency within structure 115
4.8.1 Gendered moral rationality 115
4.8.2 Reshaping masculinity 117
4.8.3 Class and identity 118
4.9 Paradoxes of agency 119
4.9.1 Agents embracing inequalities 120