Welfare restructuring and social (in)equity across generations in Hong Kong

Economic restructuring and social transformation have significantly challenged the established structure of the welfare regime in Hong Kong (Chan and Lee, 2010; Mok, 2011). Like other East Asian economies, new social risks arising from increasingly global and complex societies and a breakdown of traditional and informal risk-sharing mechanisms bring enormous difficulties for certain social groups in Hong Kong (Chan, 2009; Chiu and Wong, 2011). It is also realised that global processes of economic change give governments impetus to adopt a welfare mix approach to ensure economic competitiveness (Powell, 2007). The extent to which welfare restructuring attains productive employment and sustainable livelihoods, and also ensures equal opportunities for people’s future development in Hong Kong, is the focal point of the current debate.