The Hong Kong civil service in transition

As a result of its autonomy from society and institutional integrity, both legacies of British colonialism, the transition of the Hong Kong civil service to Chinese rule has been smooth. To accommodate continuing changes to state‐society relations, however, the civil service must begin sharing power with society to ensure stability. This paper examines changes in the state‐society and inter‐state sectors since the 1 July 1997 handover.