Comment Critically the Development of Social Welfare (in a Broad Sense) Before the Change of Sovereignty in 1997. What Are the Main Factors Affecting the Development of Social Welfare in Hong Kong Before 1997?

The University of Hong Kong
SOWK 1008 - Social Welfare System and Social Policy

LAI TSZ KIN
(3035013721)

2011-12-07

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Topic: Comment critically the development of social welfare (in a broad sense) before the change of sovereignty in 1997. What are the main factors affecting the development of social welfare in Hong Kong before 1997?

This article will present an analysis of the development of social welfare in Hong Kong since 1842 when British first acquired the land of Hong Kong to 1997 which marks the end of British colonialism. It will examine what has shaped Hong Kong’s social welfare development.

INTRODUCTION

Social welfare is a requisite for the well-being of any society. In the post-war period, the issue of social welfare was crucial to the discussions about British decolonization. In 1940s, the Colonial Office officially recognized social welfare as its function. That marks the beginning of the development of social welfare in Hong Kong.

Titmuss (1959) described social welfare as “all collective interventions to meet certain needs of the individual and/or to serve the wider interests of society may now be broadly grouped into… categories of welfare”. Whether the social welfare development under British Hong Kong government can be regarded as a success or not can be viewed via the development throughout the past decades.

The development of social welfare before the change of sovereignty in 1997 can be mainly divided into four phrases and they are “The Golden Age of Voluntarism” from 1842 to 1952, the phrase of “Partial Social Policy” from 1953 to 1970, the phrase of “The ‘Big Bang’ Social Policy” from 1971-1977, and the phrase of “Incremental Social Policy” from 1978 to 1997. The division of phrases is based on the various factors that are persistently at work during the evolvement process.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF VOLUNTARISM (1945-1965)

Social...