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In jobs in which workers have the flexibility to decide how much work to supply, such as in the gig economy, the effect of a wage change on work supply can be hard to predict. A wage increase offers workers the opportunity to make more money. At the same time, it allows them to make money faster, so they can enjoy more leisure and do not need to work as much. Economic theory alone does not predict which outcome is more likely to occur, and the empirical evidence is also mixed. This paper provides some psychological insights into this economic problem by showing that the short-term effect of a wage change on work supply depends on how the change is framed. Given a current wage of "work l hours to earn $m," a pay-change frame ("work the same l hours and earn $M") facilitates a change in work supply in the same direction as the wage change, whereas a load-change frame ("work L hours and earn the same $m") facilitates the opposite change. Hence, if strategically framed, a wage decrease can elicit the same increase in work supply as a wage increase. A set of studies demonstrate this wage frame effect on both actual work performance and expressed willingness to work. The findings from these studies offer a behavioral perspective on a classic labor economics problem, document a novel framing effect for the judgment and decision-making literature, and suggest a nudge strategy that managers and policy makers can use in incentive designs. This paper was accepted by Yuval Rottenstreich, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Funding: The research of L. Shen was supported by the Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee of Hong Kong [Grant GRF 14501317]. The research of S. D. Hirshman was supported by the Center for Research on Consumer Financial Decision Making, the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business, and The Research Council of Norway (FAIR, project 262675). Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4591. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on opening up international markets for wood and paper products according to the global forest industry at the World Trade Organization meeting in Hong Kong. The call builds on the negotiating proposal for trade liberalization in the forest products sector submitted by the Governments of Canada, China, New Zealand, Thailand and the United States. Vice president of Trade and Competitiveness of the Forest Products Association of Canada Marta Morgan says that all countries stand to gain significantly from freer trade in forest products.

Gender norms, roles and relations differentially affect women, men, and non-binary individuals' vulnerability to disease. Outbreak response measures also have immediate and long-term gendered effects. However, gender-based analysis of outbreaks and responses is limited by lack of data and little integration of feminist analysis within global health scholarship. Recognising these barriers, this paper applies a gender matrix methodology, grounded in feminist political economy approaches, to evaluate the gendered effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and response in four case studies: China, Hong Kong, Canada, and the UK. Through a rapid scoping of documentation of the gendered effects of the outbreak, it applies the matrix framework to analyse findings, identifying common themes across the case studies: financial discrimination, crisis in care, and unequal risks and secondary effects. Results point to transnational structural conditions which put women on the front lines of the pandemic at work and at home while denying them health, economic and personal security – effects that are exacerbated where racism and other forms of discrimination intersect with gender inequities. Given that women and people living at the intersections of multiple inequities are made additionally vulnerable by pandemic responses, intersectional feminist responses should be prioritised at the beginning of any crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calls for research in trade, industry, economics, management, and decision sciences to be presented at the Global Economic Transformation After the Asian Economic Crisis conference to be held in Hong Kong, China from May 26 to 28, 2000.

Purpose – The paper aims to investigate order-based manipulation that consists of order-placing strategies. Design/methodology/approach – Using the bid and ask record provided by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, a Level II dataset, the paper develops a methodology to obtain cancelled orders during regular trading hours. The paper examines the cancelled orders and potential order-based manipulation activities, as well as the corresponding behavior of different groups of stocks. Findings – Empirical results show that the relationship between order cancellation and order-based manipulation is strong and deserves more attention. Originality/value – The methodology can also be used by regulators and authorities to monitor suspicious activities in the market. This paper also suggests that analysis on high-frequency data does improve the understanding of trading activities in the stock market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on several papers discussed at the conference on Experimental Methods in Economics and Finance organized by the City University of Hong Kong in June 2004. Comparison of two auction systems that can be used for procurement; Properties of different market allocation systems in a laboratory environment motivated by a specific field application; Background on how institutional structure might affect market outcomes.

Purpose - This paper seeks to argue that racially discriminatory zoning in Colonial Hong Kong could have been a form of protectionism driven by economic considerations. Design/methodology/approach - This paper was based on a review of the relevant ordinances, literature, and public information, notably data obtained from the Land Registry and telephone directories. Findings - This paper reveals that many writings on racial matters in Hong Kong were not a correct interpretation or presentation of facts. It shows that after the repeal of the discriminatory laws in 1946, an increasing number of people, both Chinese and European, were living in the Peak district. Besides, Chinese were found to be acquiring land even under the discriminatory law for Barker Road during the mid-1920s and became, after 1946, the majority landlords by the mid-1970s. This testifies to the argument that the Chinese could compete economically with Europeans for prime residential premises in Hong Kong. Research limitations/implications - This paper lends further support to the Lawrence-Marco proposition raised in Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design by Lai and Yu, which regards segregation zoning as a means to reduce the effective demand of an economically resourceful social group. Practical implications - This paper shows how title documents for land and telephone directories can be used to measure the degree of racial segregation. Originality/value - This paper is the first attempt to systematically re-interpret English literature on racially discriminatory zoning in Hong Kong's Peak area using reliable public information from Crown Leases and telephone directories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of professional social work in Hong Kong can be traced back to the 1960s. Similar to development of the profession in other countries, it began with social work education, and then later grew in response to the ever-changing environment. This paper will first highlight the history of the social work profession, and then outline the present situation of social work in Hong Kong. Following the introduction of managerial reform, social workers have encountered many changes. Although the image of social workers is positive in general and service quality is being monitored, morale is negatively affected. The paper addresses the major challenges that social work in Hong Kong is currently facing: implementation of the Lump Sum Grant system and capacity building through continuing professional development. Research shows that social workers are dissatisfied with the Lump Sum Grant system, and that this system demoralizes social workers. The paper also argues that compulsory continuing professional development is needed for capacity building and to promote resilience among social workers, in order both to strengthen the profession and to safeguard the interests of service recipients. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informed by the theoretical framework of sustainable development and economic theories including the cluster theory and the corollary of the Coase Theorem, this paper empirically investigates the economic impact of architectural heritage in Hong Kong. Using the hedonic price model, the research examines the economic impact of 50 publicly owned versus 50 privately owned heritage buildings on adjacent residential property prices with a sample size of over 43,240 property transaction records spanning a time period of 10 years. The research supports that heritage conservation can promote economic sustainability aside from cultural sustainability and social engagement. This research benefits government policymakers, urban planners, architects, and heritage conservationists by contributing new knowledge to the studies on sustainable urban development, heritage conservation, and cultural economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few recent historical precedents for maintaining the high degree of separation that still prevails between the internal monetary arrangements of Hong Kong and mainland China. This paper explains why this separation is likely to erode and considers the economics of the different forms that monetary unification of China could take. It argues that achieving such unification without resorting to capital controls or expropriation is a precondition for developing a second major international currency in East Asia that would rival the yen. Until the renminbi has been established as an international currency within a unified and sound financial system that has achieved Hong Kong's current standards, there can be no progress toward a regional monetary union in East Asia. An internal goal of Chinese monetary union is banking reform and financial integration, and an external goal is to help emancipate both China and East Asia as a whole safely from the U.S. dollar standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the free-issue regime (1974-1983), Hong Kong's money supply, price level and exchange rates were wholly governed by market forces. The system did not seem to have any nominal anchor. Theoretically its price level was indeterminate, engendering what is called an indeterminacy puzzle. The paper elaborates on the concept of price level indeterminacy and undertakes the question of empirical determination of the price level indeterminacy during the freeissue regime. The empirical investigation employs two distinct approaches - institutionalist and econometric. The results of the two approaches indicate the necessity of a broader approach to historical analyses. The paper also informs us about the relationship among money supply, price level and exchange rate in a regime of fiat money without a central bank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops three considerations relevant to the possibility of modification of the Hong Kong currency board system for conducting monetary/exchange-rate policy. The first concerns the system employed by Singapore, an economy similar in several ways to Hong Kong's, whereby the exchange rate is adjusted periodically in activist response to inflation and output developments. The second concerns a generalization, one that calls for adjustments of a weighted average of exchange rate and interest rate instruments, so designed to be effective whether the economy is, or is not, in a liquidity-trap situation. Finally, the third topic concerns political-economy aspects of policy, which tend to incline against the use of the activist systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last three decades or so, neoliberal policies have had a significant effect on housing sectors across a wide range of societies. State rental sectors, in particular, have been in the ideological firing line. Portrayed as inefficient, unresponsive, monopolistic and anachronistic, they have been typically marketised, privatised and downsized. At the same time, wider societal changes have impacted on their social role and social composition. The overall effect on many public rental sectors is now very familiar – growing social and spatial segregation, enclaves of concentrated and multiple disadvantage and increased stigmatisation. Against this background, Hong Kong's public rental sector has survived relatively unscathed and continues to accommodate around a third of its households. This paper examines the experiences and perceptions of Hong Kong public rental housing among those within and outside the sector. How are public tenants perceived in relation to ideas of social status and social equality? How do public tenants see themselves? The paper draws on a survey of 3,000 individuals in Hong Kong which is part of a larger study concerned with housing provision and social change in the Special Administrative Region. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The privatization of state transport operators has been driven by empirical discoveries in transport economic research of the constant or even diseconomies of scale of these operators. With reference to public records and official statistics, this paper is an initial attempt to examine the scale economies of and output relationship between major bus and ferry operators in Hong Kong during the period 1948-1998. The two franchised bus and two franchised ferry companies each experienced unique scale effects during different periods and correlated with each other in terms of production. The paper will also discuss the possible reasons for this phenomenon and policy concerns related to this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an analysis of the housing impact of the recent financial crisis in an East Asian context, specifically Hong Kong. In doing so, the paper argues that much of the current political economy analysis in this area has been overly focused on mortgage securitization as the centrepiece of liberal housing finance systems. The paper also shows that an understanding of the limited development of mortgage securitization in Hong Kong lies in the embedded actions of institutional agents. The paper seeks to contribute to ongoing policy debates about the differential impact of the financial crisis on housing markets and to broader theoretical conceptions of ‘residential capitalisms’. In relation to the latter, the aim is to strengthen the East Asian dimension of these discussions and to reinforce arguments regarding the importance of the embedded actions of agents in shaping housing finance systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines three controversies that revolve around the Hong Kong government's efforts to privatise components of its property assets in the years following the Asian financial crisis in 1997. While the rolling back of welfare and privatisation of public goods are typical features of the 'neo-liberal turn', the consequences of and responses to these processes are highly contingent upon specific historical experience and social practices. By examining the narratives of different actors over the course of these controversies, this paper aims to elucidate the contradictions and mutual entanglements between the ideology of neo-liberalism and everyday discourse and how the contestation in each of the three cases worked to reshape and ultimately to preserve the existing regime of legitimation. It also illustrates how the long-running 'laissez-faire' principles of Hong Kong's colonial period have contributed to the ongoing absorption of political critique, thus exposing the limits of 'people power'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hong Kong's domestic economy has been through a roller coaster ride over the past decade. In early 2004, increasing the number of holidays as a strategy to boost domestic consumption was mooted. In this paper, we estimate the effect of holidays on private domestic consumption in Hong Kong. We do this by estimating both the long term and short-term consumption functions. Our estimates suggest that an additional day holiday per quarter would increase private consumption expenditure (PCE) by HKD 213 on a per capita basis. Although an extra day holiday could add 0.34% to GDP, policy makers should also consider the possible costs (e.g. cost of unproductive) of such a policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) at the beginning of 2004 and, more recently, CEPA-2 has provided a framework for increased business development in the Pearl River Delta area of China and the Special Administrative Regions of Macau and Hong Kong. In particular, the introduction of CEPA may lead to a significant increase in trade between Hong Kong and the neighbouring Guangdong Province. This paper examines the economic context into which the CEPA provisions have been implemented from an international perspective and it contains an assessment of relevant business development issues, particularly the case of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in mainland China and Hong Kong. Wider issues for direct investment and the role of Hong Kong are also assessed. Experience with the implementation of free trade and associated market developments in other parts of the world is included but it is suggested that such models are of limited use in assessing economic development in the Pan Pearl River Delta Area. It seems that models derived from local practice will be more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of Hong Kong–mainland China trade on the wage inequality in Hong Kong. Because of the large volume of trade and the large income disparity between these two regions, this empirical study provides a good test of the theories on North–South trade. The econometric analyses show that the relative wage between the skilled and unskilled workers in Hong Kong increased as the share of the volume of Hong Kong's trade with mainland China in Hong Kong's total trade volume rose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hospital Authority (HA) is a statutory body managing all the public hospitals and institutes in Hong Kong (HK). In recent decades, Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HKHA) has been making efforts to improve the healthcare services, but there still exist some problems like unfair resource allocation and poor management, as reported by the Hong Kong medical legislative committee. One critical consequence of these problems is low healthcare efficiency of hospitals, leading to low satisfaction among patients. Moreover, HKHA also suffers from the conflict between limited resource and growing demand. An effective evaluation of HA is important for resource planning and healthcare decision making. In this paper, we propose a two-phase method to evaluate HA efficiency for reducing healthcare expenditure and improving healthcare service. Specifically, in Phase I, we measure the HKHA efficiency changes from 2000 to 2013 by applying a novel DEA-Malmquist index with undesirable factors. In Phase II, we further explore the impact of some exogenous factors (e.g., population density) on HKHA efficiency by Tobit regression model. Empirical results show that there are significant differences between the efficiencies of different hospitals and clusters. In particular, it is found that the public hospital serving in a richer district has a relatively lower efficiency. To a certain extent, this reflects the socioeconomic reality in HK that people with better economic condition prefers receiving higher quality service from the private hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural experiments are an important alternative to observational and econometric studies. This paper provides a review of results from empirical studies of alcohol policy interventions in five countries: Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Sweden, and Switzerland. Major policy changes were removal of quotas on travelers' tax-free imports and reductions in alcohol taxes. A total of 29 primary articles are reviewed, which contain 35 sets of results for alcohol consumption by various subpopulations and time periods. For each country, the review summarizes and examines: (1) history of tax/quota policy interventions and price changes; (2) graphical trends for alcohol consumption and liver disease mortality; and (3) empirical results for policy effects on alcohol consumption and drinking patterns. We also compare cross-country results for three select outcomes-binge drinking, alcohol consumption by youth and young adults, and heavy consumption by older adults. Overall, we find a lack of consistent results for consumption both within- and across-countries, with a general finding that alcohol tax interventions had selective, rather than broad, impacts on subpopulations and drinking patterns. Policy implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, I examine through Bruno Latour's concept of nonmodern networks the intersections of the hyper-modernity of Hong Kong's ‘real’ money economy with that of an economy of ghost-money that, through the act of burning, serves as an offering to the dead and the divine. The essay reconfigures Latour's ‘modern constitution’ as it relates to philosophy, myth and modernity as they are organised around the values of a currency that trespass all boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Economic cooperation between Hong Kong and Mainland China, especially Guangdong province, has flourished since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1997. The landmark is the conclusion of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) between Hong Kong and the Mainland in 2003. CEPA covers liberalisation of trade in goods, liberalisation of trade in services, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and other trade facilitation measures. This paper uses the collaborative governance regime framework to analyse the economic cooperation between Hong Kong and Mainland China under CEPA. This case shows that if there are environmental conditions generating incentives for both parties to cooperate, a committed leadership on both sides to drive the regime, and institutional arrangements that could facilitate the collaborative dynamics, effective collaboration between players from different political and institutional backgrounds can still be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) is a relatively new technique that is under rapid development. To further improve the reliability of S-LCA, more case studies and methodologies are of paramount importance. This study aims to develop a S-LCA model for building construction projects in Hong Kong, namely, the Social-impact Model of Construction (SMoC). In this paper, a social life cycle impact assessment (sLCIA) method is developed and a case study of a building construction project in Hong Kong is performed. Methods: The development of SMoC is composed of three stages. Stage one strives to establish the sLCIA method which includes the characterization, normalization and weighting. In stage two, a questionnaire survey is conducted to collect the weighting factors and to unveil the social impacts of on-site construction practices. Based on that, the SMoC model which consists of a set of functional worksheets is built. In stage three, a case study following the four-phase structure of S-LCA suggested by the UNEP/SETAC guidelines is conducted. Results and discussion: Of the selected subcategories, local experts believed that health and safety (worker) is the most important social aspect. The questionnaire survey also suggests that the environmental-friendly on-site construction activities as identified in this research are beneficial to the society in general. However, adoption of precast concrete components can lead to negative impacts on fair salary and local employment, since the precast concrete is normally produced outside Hong Kong. The case study demonstrates that the studied project has positive social impacts in general, while the construction stage performs better than the material stage. The sensitivity analysis indicates that inclusion of environmental-friendly construction practices can significantly improve the social performance of the studied building construction project. Conclusions: The developed SMoC model and the case study should provide a comprehensive framework of S-LCA for building construction in Hong Kong. Despite being the first attempt of S-LCA in Hong Kong, the results help inform the local industry the social performance of their construction projects from a life cycle perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boundaries affect both spatial properties and human behaviours. The ways in which people relate to boundaries determine how space is processed and developed. This paper aims to clarify the relationships between people and boundaries and provide insights for the design process and facility management. The paper explores the everyday lives of people in densely populated urban areas. Behavioural observation was the basic methodology, while multiple case studies provided valid explanations about how boundaries interact with space and people. The paper analysed the dependent relationship between space and boundaries and classified the boundaries in Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) to determine how policymakers, designers, managers, and users perceived and reacted to boundaries in MTR stations. Based on the user-centred design perspective, a quantitative description presented a method of evaluating existing boundaries. The end of the paper provides insights for boundary design in order to achieve a better quality of public life to people in their everyday lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern over high and persistent levels of poverty and inequality have focused attention on the broader issue of social disadvantage in Hong Kong. The social exclusion framework provides a new perspective that shifts the focus away from purely economic causes to the social processes that prevent people from participating, although conceptual and definitional ambiguities present conceptual and practical challenges to empirical research on exclusion. This paper presents results from a comprehensive survey that allows the extent and nature of social exclusion in Hong Kong to be estimated for the first time. Attention focuses on examining the broad profile of exclusion, and on the association between social exclusion and a series of indicators of subjective well-being (SWB). The overlap between social exclusion and poverty is also examined, the results showing that the two are different and are associated with different levels of well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a commentary and analysis on the half-century development of social work in Hong Kong, from its origins in the twin roots of Christian ideology accompanying British colonialism and Chinese family values, the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, the Asian financial crisis and subsequent economic recession and major cuts in government funding for social welfare. We pointed out that the government had tried to co-opt social work for ideological ends. This aim was not achieved in the 1980s, but the government has succeeded in doing so by imposing the new financial control on the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) after 1997. We argue that the four major political challenges ahead for social workers in Hong Kong relate to social integration, urban maladies, social justice and indigenisation. We propose that a process of re-politicisation of social work by both agencies and practitioners, seeking to reclaim social workers' political and professional role, is necessary in order to ensure a more equitable distribution of community resources in Hong Kong to ensure that all citizens share in its prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Hong Kong has undergone substantial economic transformations and developed into a sophisticated business and financial center in the Asia-Pacific region, since the return of sovereignty to China as a Special Administrative Region under the One Country Two Systems (OCTS) in 1997. This paper discusses and analyzes the industrial structural changes of Hong Kong in recent decades as well as its future challenges and opportunities. The data and finding reveal that even though Hong Kong will face fierce competition from the Mainland's cities as the rise of China, the important role as a bridge between China and the rest of the world will brace Hong Kong itself under the OCTS for developing into a service hub for business and trade in the Asia-Pacific region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the factors affecting the implementation of green buildings for the local construction industry. Questionnaire surveys and structural interviews were conducted to investigate the economical and social factors in the implementation of green buildings. From the survey results, the industry strongly believes that green building implementation is environment-friendly and can improve social values to the consumers. However, material costs, construction and transportation for green materials and green building features are more expensive than those for the conventional buildings. Four major factors affecting the existing limited implementation of green buildings were also discussed. Recommendations to improve the implementation of green buildings were also explored. This study can bring insights locally and around the world on how green buildings can be implemented to achieve environment-friendly, long-term cost saving and being recognized by the society and the consumers to reduce difficulties and burden encountered in the implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on survey data collected in Hong Kong and other economies of East Asia, this paper examines youth's access to and use of the Internet and potential consequences of Internet use on youth in the region. The paper compares Internet use by Hong Kong youth with their peers in neighboring economies to help highlight the unique features as well as common practices of Hong Kong youth. The findings, though by no means representative of Asia, provide a set of consistent and reliable benchmarks against which other parts of Asia and beyond could be compared in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper uses a dynamic open-economy model with wage indexation to examine the impact of tourism on employment and welfare. Both short-run and long-run situations are analysed. It is well known that tourism converts non-traded goods into tradable goods. An increase in the demand for a non-traded good raises its relative price, which results in an expansion of the non-traded sector at the expense of the traded goods sector. This output shift raises labour employment in the short run. However, in the long run, the higher relative price leads to higher wages, resulting in a negative impact on labour employment. If the output effect is dominant, the expansion in tourism raises employment and welfare. However, under realistic conditions tourism may lower both labour employment and welfare due to rising costs. These results are demonstrated by simulating a dynamic model for the case of Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Focus of previous research into family purchasing decisions has centred on the husband and wife. Children's influences on family decision making have increased in recent decades. The purpose of this paper is to investigate children's influences on Chinese family decision making in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach - The study is based on a survey of 366 family members in Hong Kong. Findings - Children are found to have more influence in the choice-making stage of decision making and parents still control the final decision, which is consistent with previous research findings. Practical implications - Parents and their children usually engage jointly in family decision making. Marketers should address the needs of both parties and work to help to resolve any conflict that may arise. Originality/value - The study is framed within resources theory to examine children's influence in two decision stages of family decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well recognised that a significant amount of solid waste is produced from construction work. The increasing generation of construction waste such as used timber formwork, obsolete concrete and packaging, has caused significant pollution to the environment and risen public concern particularly in densely populated cities, such as Hong Kong. The minimization of construction waste has therefore become a pressing issue in pursuing the practice of sustainable construction. This paper shows the betterment of replacing in situ concreting with precast slabs for temporary works to improve sustainable construction performance. Construction waste from the obsolete concrete constitutes a large part of the construction solid waste in a typical building project. The reduction on the obsolescence by using precast slabs can significantly contribute to improving sustainable construction performance. This study identifies cost saving and the betterment of environmental performance by using precast concrete slabs over the in situ concreting. The data used for analysis in the paper were collected from statistics reports and a case study in Hong Kong construction practice. From the case study results, about 43.93%, 64.01% and 70.70% of the cost of using cast in situ concreting can be saved by reusing precast slabs once for temporary works, twice and three times respectively. The findings provide evidence for promoting the use of precast slabs for temporary works, and contribute to the improvement of sustainable construction performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose — Hong Kong's largely unregulated fisheries are in a state of biological and economic decline. The government has proposed new fisheries management regulations which will likely restrict fishing effort. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate: fishers' willingness and capacity to switch to alternative jobs or livelihoods; and the feasibility of the marine recreation sector to provide alternative employment options for fishers. Design/methodology/approach — The authors conducted interviews to find out about perceptions and attitudes towards the proposed management regulations, and alternative livelihood options for fishers. They interviewed participants in the fisheries sector (mainly fishers) and the marine recreation sector. A questionnaire was also mailed or faxed to marine recreation businesses throughout Hong Kong. Findings — It was found that up to 75 per cent of fishers interviewed were generally willing to leave the fishery if they were provided with adequate compensation, but they were not optimistic about finding suitable jobs due to their limited skills and education. About 55 per cent of marine recreation respondents said they would consider hiring fishers; however, there were unlikely to be sufficient jobs for all the potentially displaced fishers. Hence! fishers have to look outside the marine sector for alternative livelihoods. Practical implications — The results highlight that a sizable portion of fishers are willing to depart from "their way of life" under the right conditions. This indicates that, the government can help restore Hong Kong's fisheries and fisher livelihoods by providing appropriate training and designing acceptable compensation packages for fishers. Originality/value — The study reported in this paper is significant because it shows that fishing is no longer economically profitable for Hong Kong's fishers, a situation which can largely be attributed to the lack of fisheries management in Hong Kong, which has dissipated biological and economic productivity of the fisheries' resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As migration and mobility produce new subject positions, they transform and extend locality and create both new subjective experiences of place and new subjectivities. This paper explores the culture of circulation that emerges between a migrant sending village in the Philippines and Hong Kong, as it is created through the mobility of female contract workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, Hong Kong is one of the major centres of ornamental fish trading in Asia. The size of the Hong Kong ornamental fish trade has attracted international attention. It is particularly interesting in terms of economics and management in the sense that there is virtually no government regulation of this industry, other than the ban on the trade or import of endangered species. However, little is known to the academic world about its history or performance. This paper makes a contribution to the economic study of three aspects of Hong Kong's ornamental fish industry. First, this paper describes the evolution of the local tropic ornamental fish retail market, with particular reference to its spatial evolution that has led to the conglomeration of retail shops at "Goldfish Street", the major concentration of ornamental fish retail outlets in Hong Kong. Second, this paper assesses its turnover by means of property valuation of the retail shops, using the profit method, within "Goldfish Street" and 10 samples outside. The property valuation approach to assess turnover is the received method in the field of estate surveying. It is the most scientific means to evaluate business turnover in the absence of official trade statistics, tax return data, or profits and loss accounts of the retailers. Third, a telephone directory survey of the actual location of ornamental fish retail shops in Hong Kong from 1978 to 2001 is analysed to give an accurate picture of their mobility history. Based on a large number of observations (6,549), it is affirmed that "Goldfish Street" emerged as a dominant retail hub in the 1980s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relates the topics of the different articles featured in the October 1998 issue of the 'Pacific Economic Review.' Speculative pressures on Asian currency boards; Foreign exchange market in Hong Kong, China; Monetary policies in Singapore.

The East Asian currency crisis spread to Hong Kong in October 1997, touching off worldwide repercussions. Weaknesses were revealed in the operational mechanism of Hong Kong's linked exchange rate system (the link). This paper casts the link as a peculiar currency board system in the proper historical and comparative contexts. After examining the conflict between the classical currency board (which relies on the two "automatic" stabilizers of specie-flow and cash arbitrage) and modern financial developments, it is pointed out that Hong Kong should move forward to the convertible reserves system of Argentina, Estonia and Lithuania (the AEL model), and adopt its cashless/electronic arbitrage arrangement to defend the link. Moreover, it is necessary to balance the need for short-term stability and the consideration of long-term flexibility. Any measure that increases the ultimate exit cost from the link must be assessed carefully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hong Kong's success as an international commercial and financial center has often been attributed to a policy of "positive nonintervention" adopted by the government. Market forces were allowed to determine the level of supply and demand in a variety of areas related to public affairs. This has allowed Hong Kong to maintain a relatively small public bureaucracy and has led to a general acceptance of the administrative style and principles followed by the government. Disagreements have been expressed over the claim of "positive nonintervention" made by the Hong Kong government, however, with analysts suggesting that interventions have been made in several areas such as housing, welfare, education, and health. This paper examines the policy of "positive nonintervention" with reference to a massive injection of funds by the Hong Kong government to bolster the sharply declining stock market in 1998, and reassesses the relevance of this claimed policy under current circumstances. The argument of this paper is that modern polities cannot be successfully governed by following a policy of "nonintervention." The government of Hong Kong, this paper finds, had to take a proactive role in developing services and regulating activities in the public interest. The Hong Kong government's claim to "positive nonintervention" relates simply to trade and commercial policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines issues of affordability and justice using the concept of “basic structure” as developed by Iris M. Young in order to produce a more nuanced account of the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme. We draw on the experiences of Hong Kong mothers of different socio-economic status who have participated in the voucher scheme. The scheme aims to provide affordable quality early education by giving parents a flat-rate voucher so as to assist them in enrolling their children in non-profit local kindergartens. We base our arguments on the central premise that socially just policy requires meticulous attention to the basic structure that determines distributive patterns. We go on to argue that the basic structure is governed by institutional assumptions, rules, and practices about class, gender, and markets. Our analysis references both quantitative and qualitative data of a three-phased mixed-method study with > 1400 mothers. The key findings reveal how mothers of different socio-economic backgrounds experienced the voucher scheme where power structures and relations are legitimized, thus contributing to the structural processes that reproduce constraints and injustice. Mothers' articulation regarding the policy recommendation of free early education adds insights into the constraints they experience and a notion of collective responsibility in supporting the education of young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of urban centres all over the world creates major concerns for the designers, architects and environmentalist. But the growth of Chinese cities, Hong Kong in particular is of greater concern considering the rapid population and economic growth of the country. Considering the challenge of Hong Kong city as one of the recent metropolitan cities of the world with the growing challenges of housing, informal settlement, public space and infrastructure adequacy this study is inevitable at this moment. This paper investigates, the nature of informal settlement and the adequacy of infrastructure provision in Hong Kong; and assess socio-economic characteristics of such settlement to foster the required future urban growth that is resilient and sustainable. The study adopts case study methodology, mixed methods exploratory approach of data collection and analysis. Primary source of data collection through the use of reconnaissance survey, observation, direct interaction with resident and stakeholders of selected settlements with the support of literature search (secondary data) were adopted. Data were analysed, interpreted, and results integrated to reflect the characteristics of informal settlement and infrastructure adequacy in Hong Kong urban centres for future resilience. Recommendations were made according to the research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the acute problems faced by the market economy of Hong Kong are assessed. These are seen to arise from the shift in the labour market from labour surplus to labour scarcity. The major geo-political role of Hong Kong both in servicing the external capital requirements of South China and as a key state within the conurbation of 'little dragons' is also examined. The consequences of this structural shift in terms of the challenges being mounted to HRM both strategically and functionally are also evaluated and are interpreted as an evolutionary process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents several announcements related to economics as of October 2005. Inclusion of the journal "Pacific Economic Review" in the Social Sciences Citation Index; Information on the international workshop entitled Recent Advances in International Economics IV: Empirical Analyses of International Trade Issues, organized by the Department of Economics and Finance, and the Research Center for International Economics of City University of Hong Kong on May 20 and 21, 2005; Information on the First International Conference on Business, Technology and Competitive Intelligence, to be held at the Graduate School of Business, Nihon University in Tokyo, Japan, on October 25 and 26, 2005.

The planning fallacy is at play in projects when optimism bias and/or strategic misrepresentation are present. We examine the cost performance of approximately US$ 6.5 billion worth of social infrastructure projects that were procured in Hong Kong and specifically the differences between their final accounts and the various types of estimates that were prepared prior to construction. We focus on the (honest) planning fallacy and hence aim to determine whether estimates are more optimistic than actual costs. Our data shows that 43% of projects incurred a cost underrun from their contract award. We therefore infer that at best 57% of projects may be explained by the presence of the planning fallacy. Based on our findings, we argue that optimism and pessimism bias coexist. Likewise, the planning fallacy and competing explanations can simultaneously account for cost deviations in social infrastructure projects. We submit that the prevalence of the planning fallacy has been exaggerated and hence provide an explanation as to why this has occurred. We finally suggest there is a need for additional empirical work to test the claim that the planning fallacy is the underlying cause of cost overruns and thus the best “theory” to explain “how projects work.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insight into tourist travel behaviors is crucial for managers engaged in strategic planning and decision making to create a sustainable tourism industry. However, they continue to face significant challenges in fully capturing and understanding the behavior of international tourists. The challenges are primarily due to the inefficient data collection approaches currently in use. In this paper, we present a new approach to this task by exploiting the socially generated and user-contributed geotagged photos now made publicly available on the Internet. Our case study focuses on Hong Kong inbound tourism using 29,443 photos collected from 2100 tourists. We demonstrate how a dataset constructed from such geotagged photos can help address such challenges as well as provide useful practical implications for destination development, transportation planning, and impact management. This study has the potential to benefit tourism researchers worldwide from better understanding travel behavior and developing sustainable tourism industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviews the journal "Methodus," published by the International Network for Economic Method, Hong Kong.

The article discusses empirical research investigating the connectivity of Chinese cities in the world city network (WCN) in 2010. Topics include an overview of the WCN, which is a regional approach developed by research institute the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) to understand cities in relation to globalization, the role of business services firms in city network formation, and the significance of the uneven integration of Chinese cities in the WCN.

A new meta-field of 'forensic economics' has begun to emerge, uncovering evidence of hidden behavior in a variety of domains. Examples include teachers cheating on exams, road builders skimping on materials, violations of U.N. sanctions, unnecessary heart surgeries, and racial biases in employment decisions, traffic stops, auto retailing, and even sports judging. In each case, part of the contribution of economic analysis is in uncovering evidence of wrongdoing. Although research questions differ, forensic economic work shares commonalities in approaches and limitations. This article seeks to draw out the common threads, with the hope of stimulating further research across fields. (JEL K13) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]