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Chapter 4. Neoliberalisation and community development: Comparing community development services in Hong Kong and Beijing

  • Kwok-kin Fung , Suet-lin Shirley Hung and Gary Craig
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Asia and China in the Global Era
This chapter is in the book Asia and China in the Global Era

Abstract

This chapter offers a comparative study of neoliberalist impacts on mainstream community development services in two Chinese cities, Hong Kong and Beijing. Neoliberalist changes, as an ongoing social process, are now referred to as ‘neoliberalisation’. Adopting a process perspective, this paper compares the mediating impacts of welfare regimes and local welfare institutions (including community services, the third sector, and professional social work institutions) on neoliberalisation in Hong Kong and Beijing. By focusing on neoliberalising changes to community development services, common consequences were uncovered: a fragmentation of service provision, the responsibilitisation of the third sector, the increasing regulation of service provision, and a worsening of the working conditions of social workers. However, there are some differences: Hong Kong relies on the financial management of services while Beijing retains both service management and financial regulation, social workers receive lower pay in Beijing than in Hong Kong, and community development practice is promoted in Hong Kong but not in Beijing. The mediating role of productivist welfare regimes resulted in differences in the neoliberalisation process in the two cities, with Hong Kong featuring a ‘rolling-with’ process but Beijing having a ‘rolling-out’ process. In addition, this comparative study makes a number of theoretical contributions. By focusing on Asian cities and the mediating impact of welfare regimes, local institutions, and resistance from stakeholders, it enriches neoliberalisation theory, corrects the bias of focusing on the global North, and provides insight into real-life neoliberalism in cities. It responds to the call for investigation of real-life capitalist societies, rather than a purely theoretical derivation of neoliberalist impacts. Finally, this study has attempted to bridge the theory of welfare regimes, institutionalism, and neoliberalisation to facilitate the cross-fertilisaton of different research schools.

Abstract

This chapter offers a comparative study of neoliberalist impacts on mainstream community development services in two Chinese cities, Hong Kong and Beijing. Neoliberalist changes, as an ongoing social process, are now referred to as ‘neoliberalisation’. Adopting a process perspective, this paper compares the mediating impacts of welfare regimes and local welfare institutions (including community services, the third sector, and professional social work institutions) on neoliberalisation in Hong Kong and Beijing. By focusing on neoliberalising changes to community development services, common consequences were uncovered: a fragmentation of service provision, the responsibilitisation of the third sector, the increasing regulation of service provision, and a worsening of the working conditions of social workers. However, there are some differences: Hong Kong relies on the financial management of services while Beijing retains both service management and financial regulation, social workers receive lower pay in Beijing than in Hong Kong, and community development practice is promoted in Hong Kong but not in Beijing. The mediating role of productivist welfare regimes resulted in differences in the neoliberalisation process in the two cities, with Hong Kong featuring a ‘rolling-with’ process but Beijing having a ‘rolling-out’ process. In addition, this comparative study makes a number of theoretical contributions. By focusing on Asian cities and the mediating impact of welfare regimes, local institutions, and resistance from stakeholders, it enriches neoliberalisation theory, corrects the bias of focusing on the global North, and provides insight into real-life neoliberalism in cities. It responds to the call for investigation of real-life capitalist societies, rather than a purely theoretical derivation of neoliberalist impacts. Finally, this study has attempted to bridge the theory of welfare regimes, institutionalism, and neoliberalisation to facilitate the cross-fertilisaton of different research schools.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Acknowledgements V
  3. Contents VII
  4. List of Figures IX
  5. List of Tables XI
  6. Chapter 1. China and the global era: From globalisation to everyday life 1
  7. Chapter 2. Origin effects, spatial dynamics, and redistribution of foreign direct investment in Guangdong, China 21
  8. Chapter 3. Broken wing: Affective geographies of China’s state-owned enterprise reform 45
  9. Chapter 4. Neoliberalisation and community development: Comparing community development services in Hong Kong and Beijing 65
  10. Chapter 5. A review of the effective features of Facebook in social media-based interventions to increase adolescents’ physical activity 89
  11. Chapter 6. Gender and social capital: The case of a deprived urban community in Hong Kong 103
  12. Chapter 7. Framing migrant domestic workers inside transnational businesses: A case study of Bangladeshi women travelling to Hong Kong, and their Hong Kong-based employment agencies 135
  13. Chapter 8. Aurora College for Women in Shanghai, 1937–1951 155
  14. Chapter 9. The local mutation of professional academic organisations and its fragmentising effect under academic globalisation: Evidence from modern China and Japan 173
  15. Chapter 10. German Romantic ideals and the revival of traditional Chinese culture in early twentieth century China 191
  16. Chapter 11. Urban resilience in China: Government action and community response 207
  17. Index 225
https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501505591-004

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Acknowledgements V
  3. Contents VII
  4. List of Figures IX
  5. List of Tables XI
  6. Chapter 1. China and the global era: From globalisation to everyday life 1
  7. Chapter 2. Origin effects, spatial dynamics, and redistribution of foreign direct investment in Guangdong, China 21
  8. Chapter 3. Broken wing: Affective geographies of China’s state-owned enterprise reform 45
  9. Chapter 4. Neoliberalisation and community development: Comparing community development services in Hong Kong and Beijing 65
  10. Chapter 5. A review of the effective features of Facebook in social media-based interventions to increase adolescents’ physical activity 89
  11. Chapter 6. Gender and social capital: The case of a deprived urban community in Hong Kong 103
  12. Chapter 7. Framing migrant domestic workers inside transnational businesses: A case study of Bangladeshi women travelling to Hong Kong, and their Hong Kong-based employment agencies 135
  13. Chapter 8. Aurora College for Women in Shanghai, 1937–1951 155
  14. Chapter 9. The local mutation of professional academic organisations and its fragmentising effect under academic globalisation: Evidence from modern China and Japan 173
  15. Chapter 10. German Romantic ideals and the revival of traditional Chinese culture in early twentieth century China 191
  16. Chapter 11. Urban resilience in China: Government action and community response 207
  17. Index 225
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