Changing governance structures and the evolution of Public Service Bargains in Hong Kong

Abstract

The perspective of Public Service Bargains has been used to analyze the relationships between politicians and senior civil servants based on the premise of stable expectations about the roles of both parties. Changing governance arrangements and leadership changes, however, may destabilize and increase ambiguity about these expectations. Hong Kong provides a case of changing governance arrangements that has destabilized the roles of senior civil servants, providing them with new opportunities to slide back and forth between administrative and political roles. We discuss the case of Hong Kong, analyzing the move from a colonial trustee-type bargain to an agency-type bargain. The case study provides new insights into the applicability of the PSB concept in conditions of changing governance arrangements and unstable political and administrative roles. Points for practitioners The roles of politicians and civil servants may be less stable than is sometimes assumed. Changing governance structures may also upset these relationships, leading to contests for power and instability.