The Governing System of Pre-1997 Hong Kong: Archival Study of Selected Policies / Events (Final Report): 1997年前的香港管治系統 : 特選政策／事件的檔案研究

This study intends to shed light on the following puzzle: does the governing system of the pre-1997 Hong Kong have anything to do with the unsatisfactory performance of the HKSARG, and if so, in what way and to what extent? To solve the above puzzle, we need to systematically study the pre-1997 governing system. In particular, we need to identify the critical components of the governing system of the pre-1997 Hong Kong, and to study how these components work to maintain the functioning of the governing system. After presenting an analysis of the pre-1997 governing system in Hong Kong, two case studies are selected to illustrate our analysis: the handling of corruption problems and the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 1974, and the British preparations for the Sino-British negotiation over Hong Kong’s future before 1982, making use of the declassified documents available in the National Archives of the UK. Finally, some observations and policy recommendations are presented.