Ethical Dilemmas in Public Policy: The Dynamics of Social Values in the East-West Context of Hong Kong

212 Pages·2016·1.729 MB·English

by  Betty Yung, Yu Kam Por (eds.)

Governance and Citizenship in Asia
Betty Yung
Kam-por Yu Editors
Ethical Dilemmas
in Public Policy
The Dynamics of Social Values in the
East-West Context of Hong Kong
Governance and Citizenship in Asia
Series editors
Kerry John Kennedy, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong
Yan Wing Leung, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong
Sonny Shiu Hing Lo, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong
Aims and Scope
This series explores how citizenship is shaped by social, political, cultural and
historical contexts and how it may be moulded to serve the nation state in the age
of globalization. In these publications we see how governance relates to all aspects
of civic life, including politics, public policy, administration, civil society and the
economy, as well as the core values of society.
Titles cover themes including public trust and trust building, the role of civil s ociety,
citizens’ rights and obligations, citizenship identities including those related to gen-
der, class and ethnicities. Authors explore how young people are shaped by demo-
cratic and traditional value systems and the importance of citizenship challenges in
the Asia Pacific region.
Research collaborations in this interdisciplinary series probe questions such as:
What are the links between ‘good governance’ and new forms of citizenship? What
is the role of citizenship education as a tool in state formation and the development
of active citizenship cultures? How do we explain the distinctive features of
governance and citizenship in Asian societies?
Through these publications we see that citizenship is an integral part of ‘good
governance’ and that such governance ultimately enriches citizenship. Scholarly
investigation and academic dialogue in this series describe the interdependence and
mutuality of governance and citizenship.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11911
Betty Yung · Kam-por Yu
Editors
Ethical Dilemmas
in Public Policy
The Dynamics of Social Values
in the East-West Context
of Hong Kong
1 3
Editors
Betty Yung Kam-por Yu
School of Professional Education and General Education Centre
Executive Development The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Kowloon
Kowloon Hong Kong
Hong Kong
and
Centre for Governance and Citizenship
The Hong Kong Institute of Education
New Territories
Hong Kong
ISSN 2365-6255 ISSN 2365-6263 (electronic)
Governance and Citizenship in Asia
ISBN 978-981-10-0435-3 ISBN 978-981-10-0437-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-0437-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015960426
© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016
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Foreword
This book is very unique in several aspects. First, it is edited by two Hong Kong-
based scholars, Betty Yung and Kam-por Yu, who are also long-time observers and
serious researchers on the local public policy processes, including formulation,
implementation, evaluation, and reassessment.
Second, the chapters are written by local scholars who all have been adopting a
multiplicity of disciplines to study public policy, ranging from philosophy to law
and from social policy to public administration.
Third, this book represents the first attempt by Hong Kong scholars who seek
to comprehend the dynamic and complex interrelationships between ethical dilem-
mas, social values, and public policy in Hong Kong. It demonstrates that Hong
Kong as a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
(PRC) since July 1, 1997, has been encountering a series of policy debates that are
shaped by conflicting social values and ethical issues. The closer economic rela-
tionships and human interactions between Hong Kong on the one hand and the
PRC on the other have been increasing the intensity and ferocity of such policy
debates, especially as the territory has a cosmopolitan society where the values
from the East are constantly in conflicts with those from the West.
Fourth, this book uses a variety of case studies to examine the highly conten-
tious nature of public policy in Hong Kong. They embrace the issue of euthana-
sia; the law on abortion; the policy toward compensated dating; sexual morality
and Internet policy; the societal debate over mainland women giving birth in
Hong Kong; the question of equal opportunity in the local education system and
examination; the issues of poverty and public assistance; the policy toward pub-
lic health care; the contentious debate over the construction of the Express Rail
Link; and the government’s attempt at introducing Goods and Services Tax. These
cases have not only highlighted the contentious nature of public policy making,
implementation, evaluation, and reassessment in Hong Kong, but they also sym-
bolize the first attempt by a group of very dedicated, insightful, and thoughtful
local scholars to use many examples in providing an in-depth understanding of the
complex interrelationships between ethical pluralism and public policy.
v
vi Foreword
Fifth, all the authors in this book have adopted critical and philosophical
perspectives to examine various policy cases, arguing that public engagement,
citizen participation, and democratic deliberation are necessary in the process of
improving the content and context of public policy in Hong Kong. Through pub-
lic engagement and citizenship education, the content and context of public policy
can be improved further. Therefore, this book is composed of not only of experi-
enced local scholars but also of public intellectuals who seek to make the society
of Hong Kong better through public policy deliberation and discourse.
Without any doubt, this important work is a path-breaking one that adopts mul-
tidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives to comprehend the dynamics of
ethical pluralism and public policy. It will surely stand the test of time in the study
of public policy in general and our profound understanding of Hong Kong’s policy
debates in particular.
November 2015 Sonny Lo
Associate Vice President (Quality Assurance)
The Hong Kong Institute of Education
Contents
1 Introduction: Ethical Dilemmas, Social Values, and Public Policy:
The Context of Governance and Citizenship .................... 1
Betty Yung
Part I Ethics, Social Values and Public Policy
2 The Case of Ah Bun: Euthanasia and Other Alternatives .......... 23
Ho Mun Chan and Chun Yan Tse
3 The Justification of the Abortion Law in Hong Kong:
A Comparative Study ....................................... 39
Kam-Yuen Cheng and Thomas Ming
4 Compensated Dating: An Ethical Analysis ...................... 49
William Sin
5 Private Sphere Versus Public Sphere: Photo Scandal
of Edison Chen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Ludwig Ying
Part II Citizenship, Social Values and Public Policy
6 The Ethics of Admission and Rejection of Immigrants—the Case
of Children Born in Hong Kong to Mainland Parents ............. 81
Francis K.T. Mok
7 From the Case of Sex Discrimination to the Ideas of Equality
and Equal Opportunities .................................... 111
Man Yee Karen Lee
8 Is the Public Assistance Programme Adequate in Hong Kong?
From Value-Neutrality to Moral Engagement in the Politics
of Policy Research .......................................... 129
Yuk Tin Carl Cheng
vii
viii Contents
9 The Poverty of Vision: A Critique of Hong Kong’s Healthcare
Policy .................................................... 147
Wan-chaw Shae
10 A Philosophical Analysis on the Reasons Against the Building
of Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link .......... 167
Sui Ming Tsang
11 Justice and Taxation: From GST to Hong Kong Tax System ....... 183
Betty Yung
12 Conclusion: Social Values, Public Policy, and Citizenship ......... 197
Kam-por Yu
Chapter 1
Introduction: Ethical Dilemmas, Social
Values, and Public Policy: The Context
of Governance and Citizenship
Betty Yung
Abstract Public policy affects everyone in society. There are winners and losers
in each public policy or public policy action. Not only should public policy m akers
balance out winners and losers in public policy so that there will not be ‘ permanent
losers,’ they should also strike a balance between immediate, short-term ‘happiness’
and future, long-term ‘happiness.’ The search for ‘good governance’ is a continual
human pursuit. Having sensible social values, defining the good, together with
sound procedural and managerial values as means, will better safeguard ‘good
governance.’ Building on the nascent scholarly attention to the role of values in
governance, this book will examine a number of case studies of ethical dilemmas in
public policy from the perspective of social values, giving food for thought for how
to achieve good governance. The ability to analyze public policy issues rationally
and make constructive suggestions to improve public policy will be an important
characteristic of a good citizen, and sound citizenship education cannot be devoid
of the social value dimension.
Public policy affects everyone in society. Public policy is ‘whatever governments
choose to do or not to do’ (Dye 1987, p. 1; quoted in Smith and Larimer 2009,
p. 3). Anderson (1994) defines policy as a ‘purposive course of action or inaction
undertaken by an actor or set of actors in dealing with a problem or matter of con-
cern’ (quoted in Smith and Larimer 2009, p. 3). Smith and Larimer (2009) elab-
orate that ‘[p]olicy is not random but purposive and goal oriented; public policy
is made by public authorities; public policy consists of patterns of actions taken
B. Yung (*)
School of Professional Education and Executive Development,
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
e-mail: [email protected]
B. Yung
Centre for Governance and Citizenship, The Hong Kong Institute of Education,
Tai Po, Hong Kong
© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016 1
B. Yung and K. Yu (eds.), Ethical Dilemmas in Public Policy,
Governance and Citizenship in Asia, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-0437-7_1