000			01463pab a2200157 454500
008			180718b2001 xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aVickers, Simon
245			_aMore colonial again? - the post-1997 culture of Hong Kong's governing elite
260			_c2001
300			_ap.951-75
520			_aThe remarkable smoothness of Hong Kong's handover from liberal democratic Britain to communist China was not forecast because commentators underestimated the role of Administrative Officers (AOs) as the governing elite under both sovereigns. This article is based on a survey of post-1997 AO culture by an ex-insider and finds subtle changes under the stable surface: a reinforced paternalism, more "Confucian" but also "more colonial again;" less accountability downwards ("just as dedicated to our jobs, but forgetting what they are for"); more caution and conformity upwards. Unexpectedly, the new sovereign seems to interfere less than the old, but benefits from lower expectations and favourably double standards, whereas Hong Kong's government feels hypercriticised. Against the embarrassing realaity of post-colonial governance elsewhere, the success of Hong Kong's continuing colonial system should not be ignored just because it does not fit Western democratic models. - Reproduced
650			_aHong Kong - Politics and government
650			_aPolitics and government
773			_aInternational Journal of Public Administration
909			_a49733
999			_c49733 _d49733