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Happiness Index Survey 2006 : Annual Report, Lok Sang Ho, Wai Chung, Gary Wong

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

A Survey Report On Happiness Index And Determinants Of Happiness In Hong Kong, Lok Sang Ho, Wai Chung, Gary Wong

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

On The Logic Of The Economic Integration Of Hong Kong Into The Greater China Economy, Hoi Cheung Cheung

CAPS Working Paper Series

Hong Kong has encountered an economic downturn since the outbreak of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. It was a result of the lack of long-term preparation for adjustment to changes in the industrial structure. Without a foundation to upgrade its industrial structure from labour-intensive manufacturing to mid and high-tech industry, Hong Kong could only transit its industrial structure directly from the secondary sector to the tertiary sector – financial services, trading and logistics, and related services. Nonetheless, due to the keen competition in terms of cost advantages from the neighbouring economies, mainly those regional economies in the Pearl River …

「長青傳動力」 : 活動計劃成效評估調查, 長青傳動力計劃統籌委員會, Asia-Pacific Institute Of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University 嶺南大學亞太老年學研究中心, Cheung Ming, Alfred Chan, Yuk Yin Fung

APIAS Research Report 研究報告

德勤會計師行、中華電力、基督教香港信義會及救世軍自2003年在全港5個地區推行試驗性質的跨代服務「長青傳動力」，效果良好；自2004年即將服務地區增至12區，參與的服務團體亦增至4間。至2005年，長青傳動力委員會繼續邀請香港明愛、基督教香港信義會以及救世軍合辦「長青傳動力」活動計劃，期望長者能透過參與義工服務繼續貢獻社會，肯定自我的價値；同時，亦期望創造出一個供長者和青少年溝通的平台，讓雙方互相了解，促進長青共融。爲了更有系統地總結過去3年經驗，並規劃日後計劃發展，委員會今年邀請了嶺南大學亞太老年學硏究中心作服務成效評估，以作回顧前瞻之參考。

爲評估「長青計劃」的成效，本中心推行了一項調查硏究，並因應活動目標及各區同工所提供的量度指標，來探討參加者在以下數方面的轉變：（一）對義務工作的參與、（二）自尊心、（三）長青雙方的互相觀感及（四）社會支援網絡。

Participatory Welfare In South Korea : Meaning And Issues, K. H., Raymond Chan

CAPS Working Paper Series

‘Participatory Welfare’ is the term coined by the current Roh Moo-hyun government to distinguish its welfare reform from the previous Kim Dae-jung government’s ‘Productive Welfare’ policies. While the use of term ‘participatory’ is a convenient extension of its slogan ‘Participatory Government’, the details of Participatory Welfare are still evolving and results have yet to be seen. Observed from the documents and policies proposed or implemented so far, it has two key dimensions: promoting ‘participation’ and building up of a ‘welfare community’. The reforms are located in a context of civil society calling for greater participation and reforms in an increasingly …

From Aspac To Eas : South Korea And The Asian Pacific Region, Brian Bridges

CAPS Working Paper Series

South Korea’s diplomatic and security focus has inevitably been on North-east Asia and its difficult relationship with its northern neighbour, but South Korea also has a role to play in the broader Asian Pacific region. This paper analyses South Korea’s increasing economic, political and cultural links with the region and its role in the development of Asian Pacific regionalism. Utilising the concept of ‘middle power’, it argues that, while clearly South Korea cannot ignore what is happening in its immediate geographical environment, it does have the economic and political resources to enable it to take advantage of the opportunities for …

Power Structure And Recent Political Development In Korea, Seok Choon Lew

CAPS Working Paper Series

Democratic government is still comparatively young in South Korea. This paper outlines the development of the constitutional and political structures since 1948, noting in particular the complex history of political parties, which are often closely tied to prominent politicians. The paper then reviews the current political situation under the Roh Moo Hyun administration and examines the broad array of presidential candidates hoping to succeed him. Crucial to an understanding of modern Korean politics has been the conflict between the industrialization generation and the democratization generation, which is still relevant today.

何壽基學校英語動力營 : 成效評估調查報告書 = Ho Sai Ki Dynamic English Camp Final Report, Asia-Pacific Institute Of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University 嶺南大學亞太老年學研究中心, 柏立基教育學院校友會何壽基學校

APIAS Research Report 研究報告

「何壽基學校英語動力營」旨在透過創造一個輕鬆有趣的環境讓學生活學活用大部份已在平日課堂上學到的英語，其主要目標爲：

1. 透過各種富趣味性的英語活動，培養學生的自信心及主動學習性，從而推動學生多聽及多說英語。
2. 透過團體活動，讓學生發揮團結精神及促進個人成長，並借助團隊精神改變個人行爲。
3. 透過比賽形式，激發學生的奮鬥心，同時學習「勝不驢、敗不餒」的道理，並透過建立互相扶助及鼓勵的小組文化，讓小組內較弱的組員能跟上進度。
4. 透過讓學生安排自己的起居飲食，訓練獨立性及自律性。
5. 創造一個給長者與學生互動的平台，促進長幼共融。

爲評估「何壽基學校英語動力營」的成效，本屮心推行了一項調查硏究，探討參與此計訓的學生在以下數方面的轉變：英語能力、知識的增進、個人的發展和團體合作。此外，亦包括了學生對這個「動力營」的評價與意見。

Facing Reality : Pernicious Obstacles To Collective Action On Climate Change, Paul G. Harris

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

The international climate regime, primarily designed to limit the emissions of pollutants causing global warming, has failed. Why has international cooperation to combat global warming been so difficult, and what factors must change to improve the situation—assuming it is even possible? Using Mancur Olson’s classical theory of collective action, this essay endeavors to explain the failure of the climate regime. Other international environmental agreements and the associated regimes, such as the Mediterranean Action Plan and the Montreal Protocol on ozone depletion, demonstrate that collective action to address international environmental problems is possible. Both agreements contain the ingredients that classical theory—that …

Labour Market Reforms And Polarization In Korea, K. H., Raymond Chan

CAPS Working Paper Series

From the early 1990s the South Korean government launched a series of structural reforms to liberalize and deregulate the economy and labour market, in line with its globalization strategy. Particularly after the financial crisis, flexible labour market reform was one of the major initiatives to keep the Korean economy competitive in the global market. This paper describes the rationale for flexible labour market reforms in Korea from the early 1990s, evaluates their impacts on labour market polarization, and assesses the policy responses adopted by Kim Dae-jung and the current Roh Moo-hyun governments. It is argued that the flexible labour market …

What Future For The Corporate Tax In The New Century?, Richard S. Simmons

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

It has long been recognised that the corporate tax suffers from several inherent deficiencies. However, in recent years, the transformation and integration of the world economy has exacerbated and highlighted these weaknesses, placing a question mark over the future of the tax. Through an examination of the problems besetting the tax today, a critical analysis of the conventional justifications for it, and a review of economic and political factors relevant to its continued existence, this article considers its future in the new century.

Five main criticisms of the tax are identified. First, allocating profit between tax jurisdictions is becoming increasingly …

A System Of Emission Rights Auction With Revenue Plowback, Lok Sang Ho

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

This paper demonstrates that “grandfathering” of pollution rights may be inefficient when existing polluters enjoy market power or when there are increasing returns to abatement efforts. On the other hand an “auction and refund” approach, by effectively charging producers for the pollution they cause and refunding them in proportion to the value of their economic output levels, will result in greater efficiency and equity. Moreover, this will resolve the possible complaint that a revenue-raising auction constitutes a “taking” of private property, and will address the worry that emission rights auctions may lead to higher electricity prices. It is argued that …

Bootstrapping Statistical Inferences Of Decomposition Methods For Gender Earnings Differentials, Yue Ma, Ying Chu Ng

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

Applying the standard bootstrapping technique with corrections for heteroskedasticity for a sample of the 1997 Urban Household Survey in China, the present paper attempts to test (1) whether the commonly used decomposition methods for gender earnings differentials give significantly different results, and (2) whether the explained component is significantly different from the unexplained component (which is commonly referred to as discrimination) within each decomposition method. Based on a national data set, the empirical results indicated some significant differences in both tests. The implication of the results is that the proposed bootstrapping technique can be regarded as a guideline on applying …

Religious Participation And Children's Education : A Social Capital Approach, Chengze, Simon Fan

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

Based on the argument in both economic and sociological literature that religion is conducive to their children's human capital formation, this paper provides a model of religious participation and explores a mechanism that “social capital" affects children's education, a la Coleman (1988). The model generates several interesting implications, which help explain some important stylized facts about education and religion. Further, in a dynamic setting, the model shows that there exists a steady state, in which individuals allocate a positive amount of time and resources to religious activities. Thus, it complements the existing literature 'to explain why seemingly unproductive religions can …

Do The Rich Save More? : A New View Based On Intergenerational Transfers, Chengze, Simon Fan

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

Do richer people have higher saving rates? The short-run and long-run consumption functions have different answers to this important question, which results in an important “consumption puzzle" that was a focus of macroeconomic research in the 1950s and 1960s. 1n a recent empirical contribution, Dynan, Skinner and Zeldes (2004) revive this old question and make this “consumption puzzle" more intriguing, by showing that the average propensity to consume decreases not only with current income but also with lifetime income. This paper provides a model that helps resolve this puzzle from an intergenerational perspective.

Market Performance And Technical Efficiency Of Domestic And Foreign-Invested Service Industries In China = 中外資服務業的比較分析, Yue Ma

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

Although the Chinese manufacturing industry has attracted a vast amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) and has made rapid development, the Chinese service sector is still heftily-protected and has absorbed little FDI since the open door policy adopted in 1978. As a result, the share of the service output is just around 41% of China’s GDP. This is clearly unsatisfactory as the service sector has been able to create more jobs proportionally in many other developed and less developed countries than that in China. This paper is the first attempt in the literature to conduct an empirical comparative study of …