Structure and agency: how and why do some people actively get involved in politics in Hong Kong?

Abstract

This study provides an alternative understanding on the low level of political participation in Hong Kong. It emphasizes on the Executive-led political structure which weakens citizens’ participation opportunities as well as power. However, some people who have a higher socioeconomic status are very active in the public sphere. Thirteen people were interviewed. These activists can be grouped into two main categories, namely ‘pro-government elite’ and ‘counter-elite’. The former trusts the government and supports top-down transition, whereas the latter distrusts the government and promotes bottom-up alternatives. Although the counter-elite are frustrated and handicapped by the political structure, they value post-materialistic goals and are sufficiently altruistic to transcend the structural constraints.