Poverty and the Unequal Society in Hong Kong

Economic
Possibilities from a Global Perspective

Hong
Kong is a dynamic city. But the contrast between the well-off and the poor is
stark. In the 1980s and 1990s, and to a lesser extent in this century, Luxury
brand bag-toting women can often be seen walking past beggars on the
sidewalks of busy streets. Poverty has always existed in the city. Where else
can we find it there and is it getting worse? Does it matter? Inequality has been steadily
increasing from 1976. Poverty makes people more vulnerable and corruptible,
whether to choosing bad leaders or undertaking terrorist activities.

The
motivation of this book is to ascertain the extent of poverty in Hong Kong in
the context of the experiences in other parts of the world. The meditations
in this book are not meant to be encyclopaedic. They are a sample of the
unique challenges that exist in different parts of the world. This book does
not take a stand on the current political protests against the diminishing
freedom and autonomy imposed by Beijing in Hong Kong, although it proffers
underlying causes for the demonstrations. Inequality is a recurring theme, so
are the social chasms that the wealth, education, and digital gaps created.