The Civil Society Workshop will meet on Thursday, March 5 at 12:30 pm in the PoliSci thesis room (5200.07) for a discussion with

Jessica Mahlbacher

Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science, CUNY

‘Whose Side Are You On?’ Empowerment of Grassroots Pressure on the Hong Kong Government’s Implementation of Autonomy in the Post-Handover Period

In the run-up to the 1997 Handover from the British to Chinese sovereignty, Beijing promised the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy. The Basic Law, the territory’s mini-constitution, was to ensure this autonomy. Following the Handover, however, the local government repeatedly attempted to integrate further with the Chinese parent state in its implementation of the Basic Law.  Grassroots organizations often mobilized to stop the local government’s integration efforts. What factors empower grassroots mobilization in struggles over autonomy? Building on 80 semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and archival research, this project uses a bargaining framework to demonstrate how coalitional resources are vital to grassroots mobilization’s ability to impact local government decision-making regarding autonomy. Changes in the coalition structure are often the result of the local government’s management of elite disputes, shifting use of cooptation, and the degree to which their policies affect the interests of powerful international actors.  This presentation will look at these dynamics from Right of Abode movement through the 2003 Anti-Article 23 Movement.

Room: Political Science Thesis Room, room 5200.07

The complete Spring 2020 schedule is available here

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