|
HKUST Public Policy Bulletin Issue No.9 Promoting Mental Health Equity: Enhancing Ethnic Minority Mental Health Literacy and Help-Seeking in Hong KongNaubahar Sharif, Chen WenjinThe growing population of ethnic minorities (EMs) in Hong Kong faces significant mental health risks. Recent data from the Hong Kong Christian Service (2024) reveal that approximately 3 of 10 EM Hong Kong residents are highly vulnerable to mental health problems. Additionally, the population of elderly EM individuals (excluding foreign domestic helpers) has experienced a remarkable 166% increase over the past decade. It is therefore crucial to investigate mental health literacy (MHL) and helpseeking behaviors among EMs in Hong Kong. MHL and help-seeking play a pivotal role in determining whether individuals can recognize mental health issues, seek appropriate help, and utilize available healthcare resources—actions that should greatly improve their mental health outcomes. While the HKSAR government has attempted to address this issue, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding MHL and helpseeking behaviors among EMs in Hong Kong. This policy bulletin summarizes a paper by Naubahar et al. (2024) that investigates MHL and help-seeking patterns among certain EMs in Hong Kong. |
|
HKUST Public Policy Bulletin Issue No.8 Influence of Telecommuting on Homeownership and Housing Choice: A Study Based on Pre-pandemic DataPengyu Zhu, Yuqing GuoTelecommuting is defined as a flexible work-from-home arrangement for several times per week, while a regular workplace is maintained. Its popularity has been steadily growing even before the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Global Workplace Analytics in 2020, the practice of telecommuting increased by 1.73 times from 2005 to 2018. The onset of the pandemic in early 2020, led to a sudden surge in telecommuting as an emergency measure. The barriers to telecommuting, such as technology adoption and work practice adjustments, were overcome by the necessity of working from home.The advantages of telecommuting, including time saved on commuting, reduced office costs, and improved long-distance connectivity, became more pronounced during the pandemic. Statistics indicate that telecommuting has continued into the post-pandemic era. This shift from traditional office work to telecommuting is expected to have a significant socioeconomic impact, particularly on the housing market. This Bulletin examines how telecommuting influences the housing market based on a study of the US housing market by Zhu et al. (2023)... |
|
HKUST Public Policy Bulletin Issue No.7 Private Long-Term Care Insurance in a Super-Aging Society: A Purchasing Motivation Study in Hong KongAlex Jingwei HEHong Kong, a rapidly aging society, has been grappling with daunting challenges associated with long-term care (LTC) financing. This problem reflects Hong Kong's very long average life expectancy (as of 2019, 82.2 years for men and 88.1 years for women) and very low fertility rate (1,051 births per 1,000 females in the population). The population of citizens aged 65 and above reached 1.31 million (i.e., 17.6% of the total population) in 2019, with the percentage projected to rise as high as 35.9% by 2069. The elderly population (i.e., those aged 85 years and above) is expected to grow faster than the remaining age cohorts (from 153,000 in 2014 to 724,000 in 2064). The HKSAR government has been... |
|
HKUST Public Policy Bulletin Issue No.6 Social Influence and Economic Intervention Policies that Reduce Energy Consumption: Evidence from Air-conditioning UseConstantine Spandagos, Erik Baark and Masaru YarimeIn 2020, air conditioners consumed 31% of total electricity use in Hong Kong (EMSD, 2022) and electricity generation accounted for 60.4 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions (EPD, 2022). Therefore, policies that encourage energy savings in air-conditioner use are critical if the city wishes to achieve carbon neutrality. Nevertheless, successful policy interventions must be cost-effective and socially acceptable to incentivize energy-saving behaviors... |
|
HKUST Public Policy Bulletin Issue No.5 The Role Science Plays in Reducing Policy Uncertainties: Collaborative Governance for Shipping Emissions Control in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay AreaJeffrey Chow, Xun Wu and Coco DuBefore the implementation of shipping emissions control, Hong Kong produced the second-highest shipping pollutant emissions levels among cities worldwide. Exhaust emissions from ocean-going vessels (OGVs) near ground level within a few kilometers of densely populated residential areas were devastating to ambient air quality and public health (Lau et al., 2005). Effective policy tackling shipping emissions requires... |
|
HKUST Public Policy Bulletin Issue No.4 Strengthening Climate Risk Governance in China: Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change AdaptationXiaofan ZHAO and Ye QIChina is among the countries most susceptible to climate risks. Climate risks emerge from interactions involving climate-related hazards, e.g., extreme weather events and gradually escalating environmental changes, with exposure and susceptibility of human and natural systems. Climate risks are systematic and influence all facets of the socio-economic system, requiring an integrated framework encompassing two policy areas. The first is...... |
|
HKUST Public Policy Bulletin Issue No.3 Impacts of the Built Environment on Job Accessibility: A Case Study of Hong KongPengyu ZHU and Xinying TANThe built environment can significantly influence job accessibility. Nevertheless, the relationship between the built environment and job accessibility varies across cities in light of local charateristics. Previous studies of the relationship between the built environment and job accessibility have centered on low-to-medium-density Western cities. These studies’ empirical results may not apply entirely to Hong Kong, which is highly dense. For instance, higher employment density may...... |
|
HKUST Public Policy Bulletin Issue No.2 Strengthening Community Resilience via Data Governance: Lessons from COVID-19 DashboardsVeronica Qin Ting Li and Masaru YarimeDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, interactive dashboards were used widely as effective data tools to track the spread of the virus and help citizens make informed decisions. Data tools could also be utilized to promote public trust and enhance community resilience if they are regulated by carefully designed data policies...... |
|
HKUST Public Policy Bulletin Issue No.1 Innovation Policy in the Greater Bay Area: Hong Kong and ShenzhenNaubahar Sharif and Kevin ChandraThis study systematically compares the innovation policy frameworks in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. We find that innovation policies in Hong Kong are fragmented, overlapping, and lacking in coordination, while innovation policies in Shenzhen are driven by a focused top-down policy framework with a clear division of duties. In addition, there are considerable institutional and cultural gaps hindering the two cities from establishing an integrated regional innovation hub...... |
