Research theme:
Research Theme: Solidarity-based Rural Sustainability
Topic: Sustainability transitions in peri-urban areas
Project video:
- The Programme’s work in the past five years are summarised in our short annual videos:
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 - Knowledge exchange video: Sustainable Solutions for Hong Kong’s Villages
- Bond for Vitality 2013 – 2019
Click HERE for the full list of publications.
Vibrant rural communities are an integral component of sustainable societies due to their ability to nurture and sustain ecological and cultural diversity. Yet changing social and economic processes have led to the break-down of rural communities. This paper demonstrates how collaborative forms of governance contribute to policy learning and so rural sustainability. An analysis of a case study on rural revitalisation using the Advocacy Coalition Framework and narrative analysis reveal how common misconceptions can hinder revitalisation efforts. The role of a policy broker is shown to be vital in the dissolution of these policy misconceptions. Emphasis is on policy brokering strategies, particularly the use of venue creation, issue (re)framing and knowledge coproduction, which resulted in changing policy believes and so policy learning. As a result of stakeholder coalitions being inspired to reconsider their beliefs, the alignment of policy goals became possible and the effects of imbalanced power relations mitigated.
Research Theme: Solidarity-based Rural Sustainability
Topic: Sustainability transitions in peri-urban areas
An educator of people with disabilities (PWD) once said, “How the PWD are treated in a society tells you how civil the society is.” This is a simple statement but carries a lot of truth. Civility is more than just decorum; it is also about whether everyone in society is treated with respect, given similar opportunities to excel, and accepted in social life. In other words, it is about the degree of social inclusion, which is at the core of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong (CCSG-HKU) is committed to building a sustainable society; its mission is to foster innovative, cross-sectoral collective action to attain sustainability. It is under this spirit that the Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment was launched. The CCSG-HKU, CareER, Heep Hong Society, SAHK, and St. James’ Settlement join hands to promote PWD inclusive employment, with each unit implementing its own programme complementary to the overall project objective. Under the auspices of the CCSG-HKU is the Inclusive Career Platform, which strives to build action and knowledge-based platforms to connect different sectors to leverage societal resources to facilitate inclusive employment.
This Diagnostic Report marks a key milestone of the CCSG-HKU’s Inclusive Career Platform. It lays out the landscape of PWD employment in Hong Kong and pinpoints public policy and service gaps with a view to identifying leverage points for action. PWD employment holds a special place in a society’s state of inclusion and integration. For PWD, working is a way to demonstrate their being and be recognized as members of the community. For any society, no one should be left behind, as the UN pledges. Members of Hong Kong society generally acknowledge the existence of PWD and are sympathetic to the difficulties encountered by this group and their families; some of them even offer their help, may it be in the forms of time, money, skills, expertise, or social network. The government also allocates substantial public resources to the promotion of PWD employment. Despite all these efforts, getting a job remains a big challenge to PWD, let alone inclusive employment. There are various reasons behind the situation; this Report is an attempt to identify them.
Research theme: Solidarity-based Rural Sustainability
- Explores the concept of rural resilience and its application to the peri-urban interface
- Highlights the challenges and opportunities of (re)constructing a sustainable community in the peri-urban context
- Discusses how to leverage and enhance urban-rural linkages to create economic opportunities