Dear Members and Friends,

Welcome to the third issue of the Policy Research @ HKIAPS e-Newsletter. I hope that this newsletter will keep you updated on our efforts to raise the awareness of colleagues on the policy impacts of our academic studies.

We are delighted to announce the founding of our International Advisory Committee in January 2019. The Committee is chaired by Prof. Gungwu Wang, University Professor of the National University of Singapore. Other distinguished members include: Prof. Fang Cai from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Prof. Jane Falkingham from the University of Southampton, Prof. Danny Quah from the National University of Singapore, and Prof. Marc Stears from The University of Sydney. The Committee advises us on strategic regional and international collaborations in research, education, and training.

We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to Ms Lina Hau-yee Yan for her generous support of HK$1,000,000 to our capacity building programme for students, which will be related to a proposed research endeavour on evidence-based policy teaching. The aim of the capacity building programme is to cultivate the analytical capacity of young people in relation to social issues and policy planning, which will contribute to the emergence of young leaders.

Over the past half year, Policy Research @ HKIAPS coordinated a series of events and research projects to engage researchers and strengthen local and international connectivities. One of the highlights was the public policy forum entitled “Economic Opportunities of Climate Change”. Policy stakeholders including government officials, local and overseas scholars, and leaders of business sectors discussed the potential economic opportunities brought about by climate change mitigation measures and how Hong Kong can be better positioned to benefit from global efforts towards reducing the threat of climate change.

Another major event was the “International Conference on Global Regulatory Governance”, co-organized with the European Consortium for Political Research Standing Group on Regulatory Governance and the Department of Government and Public Administration of our university. We gathered together more than 200 delegates from 31 countries and regions. In this three-day conference, the best practices in policy design, programmes, and organizations related to regulatory governance in the face of the many challenges in a globalized world were addressed, and new, valuable, and illuminating ideas were generated through fruitful discussions and debate. Our hope is that the conference will serve as an excellent and informative platform for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders to share their insights in the area. The “Academic Symposium on the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: Synergy, Innovation, and Collaborative Development” co-organized with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences was also successfully held on 25 July. Ways of enhancing the development of the technology, manufacturing, and service industries in the Greater Bay Area were widely discussed.

In the coming months, we will continue to strengthen our research impact on Hong Kong and the region. We are laying the groundwork for the public policy forum on Hong Kong young people’s perceptions of the future with regard to education, career, and home ownership. Please stay tuned for details.

In this issue, we highlight Prof. Jean Woo and Dr Ruby Yu’s study “We Are Living Longer than Before, But Are We Healthier?”. In addition to identifying the frailty rate of elderly people living in the community, in this research project an algorithm for the prevention and management of frailty is proposed, as is a model for an NGO-based effort to provide primary care for older people in Hong Kong.

As the Convenor of the platform, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new members. CUHK faculty members are encouraged to participate in the research platform and to join us in bringing positive impacts on our society. I hope to see you at one of the upcoming events and to join hands in interdisciplinary scholarly exchanges in the future!


Fanny M. Cheung
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Co-Director, Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies
Convenor, Policy Research @ HKIAPS