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Civil Society Index. HKSAR Report Introduction. CSI Research Team. Mr. Chua Hoi-wai, (Project coordinator) T he Hong Kong Council of Social Service Dr. Joseph Chan, (Research coordinator) The University of Hong Kong Dr. Elaine Chan The University of Hong Kong Dr. Chan Kam-tong
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Civil Society Index HKSAR Report Introduction
CSI Research Team • Mr. Chua Hoi-wai, (Project coordinator) • The Hong Kong Council of Social Service • Dr. Joseph Chan, (Research coordinator) • The University of Hong Kong • Dr. Elaine Chan • The University of Hong Kong • Dr. Chan Kam-tong • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and • Dr. Chan Kin-man • The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Civil Society Index (CSI) • Developed by CIVICUS, an international NGO based in New York and Johannesburg • http://www.civicus.org/ • More than 60 countries/cities have signed up for this research
CSI Purpose • To chart the state of civil society • To assist civil society’s development • To strengthen civil society’s role in governance and development
CSI Outputs • A Civil Society Diamond or Index • A Civil Society Report • A Stakeholders Workshop
CSI Expected Outcomes • Increased knowledge on the state of civil society in Hong Kong and globally • Enhanced linkages and networks between civil society stakeholders • Greater common understanding of the state of civil society among stakeholders • Strengthened research capacity of civil society support organizations
Definition of civil society • Civil Society is defined as “the arena, outside of the family, the government, and the market where people associate to advance common interests.”
Civil society Civil Society Arena’s Fuzzy Boundaries State Civil society Market Family
Civil society • Civil society consists of • Civil society organizations (CSOs) • Informal groups and activities • Social movements • Individual citizens’ volunteering and philanthropic activities
Assessing the State of Civil Society • Structure: What is the internal make-up of civil society? • Environment: What is the political, socio-economic, cultural and legal environment in which civil society exists? • Values: Does civil society practice and promote positive social values? • Impact: What is the impact of civil society on governance & development?
Civil Society Diamond Structure 3 2 1 Values 0 Environment Impact
Scoring methodology CSI Diamond CSI Diamond Plotting Plotting Dimensional Scores Dimensional Scores Averaging Averaging Indicator Scores Indicator Scores AG Scoring Exercise Data sources Data sources Secondary data Secondary data Media review Media review Reg. Stakeholder consultations Reg. Stakeholder consultations Fact finding Fact finding Community sample Community sample
Research Methods and Data • CSO questionnaire survey • CSO stakeholder consultations • Media review • Policy case studies • CSR study • Secondary data (2 door-to-door surveys and others)
CSO Questionnaire Survey • CSO Survey • Conducted from Feb – Jun 2005 • Stratified sampling • Survey questions provided by Civicus • 1132 organizations selected • 802 responded • Response rate: 70.85% • Questions about CSO perceptions of the four dimensions of CS in HK
CSO Questionnaire Survey Groups No. % • Arts and culture 144 17.9 • Civic and advocacy 35 4.3 • District/community-Based 184 22.9 • Education and research 110 13.7 • Environment 18 2.3 • Health services 24 3.0 • Intern’al/cross-boundary 42 5.2
CSO Questionnaire Survey • Groups No. % • Law & legal services 14 1.7 • Philanthropic & Intermediaries 49 6.1 • Politics 3 0.4 • Professional, industry, business & trade unions 76 9.5 • Religion 34 4.2 • Sports 40 5.0 • Welfare services 30 3.8 Total 802 100.0
Civil Society Stakeholder Consultations • Representatives of 28 organizations from 14 categories of CSOs were interviewed (either individually or in group)
Media Review • Conducted between May-June 2004 and Nov – Dec 2004. • Oriental Daily, Ming Pao, TVB news (6:30-7:00pm) • Questions: • How favorable/unfavorable does the media report on civil society issues? • How prominent is civil society activity being reported? • What types of stories/issues are most frequent?
Policy Case Studies-Impact of CS • The budgetary process (post 1997) • Youth unemployment (post 1997) • The legislation of Article 23 (2002)
Policy Case Studies • Documentary research and interviews • 21 individuals interviewed • Impact in 4 senses: • Changes in policy • Changes in the policy-making process • Changes in political institutions involved • Changes in public attitudes towards the issue • “Empowerment” or “capacity building” of stakeholders
Corporate Social Responsibility Study • CSR study • 10 largest listed companies • Reviewed their annual reports and related documents • Questions about the companies’ understanding and practices of CSR
Corporate Social Responsibility Study CLP Holdings Ltd [Utilities] Wharf (Holdings) Ltd [Consolidated Enterprises] HSBC Holdings Plc [Banking] Hongkong Electric Holdings Ltd [Utilities] Pacific Century CyberWorks Ltd [Telecommunications] Hutchison Whampoa Ltd [Consolidated Enterprises] Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd [Property Development] China Resources Enterprise Ltd [Consolidated Enterprises] Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd [Aviation] BOC Hong Kong (Holdings) Ltd [Banking]
Scoring: who does what? • Advisors • Research Team • CSI Report • Scoring Matrix
Advisors • Mr. Darwin Chen • Mr. Albert Lai • Mr. Michael Lai • Mr. Lau Kar Wah • Dr. Wai Man Lam • Ms. Esther Leung • Mrs. Justina Leung • Ms. Mak Yin Ting • Mr. Charles Mok • Mr. Peter Wong • Mr. Mathias Woo • Ms. Meilin Wu
Strengths and weaknesses • Hong Kong civil society is active; • Its structure is loose and undeveloped; • It lacks an environment conducive to further development.
The impact of CSOs is more apparent in the following areas • Advocacy of ideas and values • Shaping of social agendas • Challenging public policy-making • Service provision • Examples: Victoria Harbour projection, West Kowloon Cultural District, Article 23 Social Movement, Hong Kong Core Values Campaign
Internal aspects of CSOs • Low level of donation and volunteering • Low level of participation in CSOs • Institutional structures of CSOs not well developed, esp. in internal democracy and transparency • Insufficient resources (human, financial, and knowledge)
Relations among CSOs • Few federations or umbrella bodies representing individual CSOs • Few platforms to promote dialogue among CSOs • FewCS support organizations
External aspects of CSOs • Government: • limited dialogue and participation in policy-making; • financial dependency on government; • Business: • very limited dialogue or cooperation between the two; • lacks a strong sense of corporate social responsibility • Lacks an up-to-date set of nonprofit or charity laws