- Civic Exchange
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Civic Exchange 
Formation September 2000 Type Public policy think tank Location Central, Hong Kong Website www.civic-exchange.org Civic Exchange Traditional Chinese 思匯政策研究所 Simplified Chinese 思汇政策研究所 Transcriptions Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping si wui cing caak jin gau sor Civic Exchange is a Hong Kong-based, non-partisan public policy think tank and registered charity. It was founded by former Legislative Council of Hong Kong member Christine Loh (陸恭蕙), and environmental researcher Lisa Hopkinson (何麗莎).[1]
Civic Exchange describes itself as “Hong Kong’s independent think tank” [2] and applies the organisational concept of creating a think tank that can add intellectual capital to Hong Kong society using a cooperative structure. Much of the group’s work is to consider public policies and how to help the Hong Kong public make sense of complex issues and find better solutions to challenges and problems.[3] The organization’s projects generally fall into one of three main fields: civic participation and social development, environment and conservation, or integration of economic analysis.
Contents
Mission
Civic Exchange's stated mission is to:[4]
- Promote civic education amongst members of the community and for such purpose to conduct research and publicise the results so as to provide objective and balanced information to the public concerning economic, social and environmental issues.
- Undertake research on development of economic, social and political policies and practices to help shape the breadth and depth of public policy debate and so to provide well-founded and reasoned argument on the issues identified above.
Partners
As a think tank, Civic Exchange cooperates with many different components of society to produce its publications and organise its events. This includes government departments, legislative bodies, educational institutions, local and international businesses and organizations, working professionals and ordinary members of the community.
In various ways, Civic Exchange works with each for research, public outreach, organisation of venues for events, and to improve dialogue between civil society and the government.
Main areas of focus
Civic participation and social development
Civic Exchange has consistently been involved in research concerning Hong Kong’s constitutional development according to the Basic Law. Many of its publications pertaining to Hong Kong politics encourage civic participation and incorporate the public into the discussion about Hong Kong’s political future. One prior focus of the organization has been on the concept of functional constituencies. Civic Exchange’s 2006 Functional Constituencies: A Unique Feature of the Hong Kong Legislative Council was one of the first books to provide original research and critique about functional constituencies.[5]
In addition to its academic findings, Civic Exchange complements its papers with public opinion surveys to better support recommendations on specific issues. In the past, these surveys have been in cooperation with Hong Kong Baptist University’s Hong Kong Transition Project and Hong Kong University's Hong Kong Public Opinion Program.[6][7][8]
Another dimension to engage the general public is Civic Exchange’s Sustainability Tools. These tools are designed to help the general public learn such skills as how to bridge the communication gap between civil society and government, send clear messages, actively listen to others, and organise successful meetings. The goal is to achieve better mutual understanding and lay the foundation for consensus-building, conflict resolution, and problem-solving in public affairs.[9] While these skills may apply more directly to civic participation and social development, the concept of Sustainability Tools can be translated to other policy areas as well.
Environment and conservation
Civic Exchange works closely with both local and international scientists and experts to provide the latest data about such environmental issues as air and water pollution, energy, climate change, and urban planning. In each of these topics, the think tank focuses mainly on the specific impacts on Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region. Among the notable, groundbreaking research is its two-year air monitoring project between 2002-2003 [10] and the Hedley Environmental Index,[11] which, in 2008, was the first website in the world to quantify the monetary and public health costs of air pollution in real-time.[12] Civic Exchange uses such publications and research to promote finding multi-disciplinary solutions that draw on the strengths of different sectors of society.
Because Hong Kong's decisions affect not only its people, but also Hong Kong's neighbours in the Pearl River Delta, Civic Exchange emphasises the process of stakeholder engagement to collect the opinions of as wide a spectrum of people as possible. One such cross-border issue that Civic Exchange works on is air pollution. On 10 January 2009, over 500 people attended a public dialogue conference hosted by Civic Exchange.[13] “The Air We Breathe: A Public Health Dialogue,” was an event promoting discussion about air quality in Hong Kong and consisted of experts, government officials, and the general public. The aim was to hear what Hong Kong people had to say about air pollution and what changes they felt could be made.
Integration of economic analysis
Given Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre, Civic Exchange has looked at various factors that affect its economy. Past areas of focus include the government budget, tax structure, and how Hong Kong can adjust to meet the needs of an aging population.
Aside from specific reports focusing on the facets of Hong Kong’s economy, Civic Exchange integrates economic analysis into its political and environmental programme areas. For example, its environmental reports have reported the fiscal costs of inaction in reforming policy. On a political front, Civic Exchange's 2003 report "The Budget and Public Finance in Hong Kong" [14] reflects on the ties between Hong Kong's politics and its economic decisions by tracking how the Chief Executive's policy address translates into public finance decisions.
Other programme areas
Aside from the three main areas addressed through Civic Exchange’s publications and events, the organisation also runs other programmes.
Online initiatives
In the past, Civic Exchange has made ventures into online publications and blogs. The organisation launched a bilingual blogazine, Civic Express, in June 2005. Now retired, Civic Express had a total of 12 contributors, including Legco member Cyd Ho. In 2005, the site attracted 25,000 visitors each month.[15]
Another online initiative is the Get Out The Vote HK website, which was created in the summer of 2008 for the Legislative Council election. GOTV HK is a bilingual, online magazine used to inform the public about different dimensions of Hong Kong’s political system and update them on the key election issues of 2008 using such features as a political “Term of the Day.”
Civic Exchange also has used different types of new media to try and broaden its outreach. It has posted full-length video of its events onto online video sites [16] and uses the social networking website Facebook to announce its events and publications to the group’s members.
Internship Programme
Civic Exchange offers internship programmes to undergraduates and postgraduate students to try and foster interest in public policy. Internships are individually designed to the student’s interests, whether it be a specific research topic or working with Civic Exchange members to organise the group’s events. For the summer months, Civic Exchange has established partnerships with Yale University and Wellesley College for their students to work as interns.[17]
Talks and seminars
Civic Exchange has, in the past, held seminars, talks, workshops and public discussion forums on environmental and political topics. Past speakers have been politicians, scholars and businessmen, including Jan O. Karlsson, Amory Lovins, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, Peter Hain, Sam Brownback, Daniel Brennan, Thomas Heller, Judy Chow, John Watson and Chris Patten.
Funding
Civic Exchange is independently funded. Nearly all of the organisation’s funding comes from donations on specific projects, rather than general donations. In its 2006-2007 Annual Report, the organisation received 43% of its funding from a broad spectrum of Hong Kong businesses, 29% from Hong Kong individuals, and the rest coming from a combination of local and international non-profits, charitable foundations, and the Hong Kong government.
Select published books
- Getting Heard: A Handbook for Hong Kong Citizens (讓民意聲音響起來), 2002: the first book published by Civic Exchange, as a guide to help citizens participate in public affairs.
- Building Democracy: Creating Good Government for Hong Kong (創建民主:締造一個優良的香港特區政府), 2003: a collection of essays discussing important political concepts and issues, including the Basic Law and democracy, political paties and the reform of the political sysyem, democrazy and voting system, Hong Kong media and society.
- At the Epicentre: Hong Kong and the SARS Outbreak, 2004: provides the whole picture of the SARS period in Hong Kong, exploring both the economic consequences and long-term political implications for Hong Kong, China and the international community.
- Functional Constituencies: A Unique Feature of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, 2005: provides information on the relevant law of functional constituencies and their place in Basic Law. It also examines the impact of functional constituencies members on the society.
- The Rise of Hong Kong Politics: the view through political cartoons 1984-2005 (從政治漫畫分析香港政治的興起), 2006: Explores how the rise of political cartoons paralleled the emergence of a purely local brand of politics by including more than 160 selected public cartoons.
- Idling Engine: Hong Kong's Environmental Policy in a Ten Year Stall, 2007: addresses the major environmental issues facing Hong Kong, what progress has been made, and the challenges that remain.
- Still Holding Our Breath: A Review of Air Quality Policy in Hong Kong 1997-2007, 2007: examines Hong Kong's air pollution, analyses the scope and efficacy of existing policy, and provides recommendations for improvement.
- Reflections of Leadership: Tung Chee Hwa and Donald Tsang, 1997-2007, 2007: the authors use the major speeches and decisions of the two chief executives to analyse their leadership. The book also examines the Executive Council over the past decade.
- From Nowhere to Nowhere: A Review of Constitutional Development-Hong Kong 1997-2007, 2007: tells the story of how Beijing and the HKSAR Government stall constitutional reform. The authors explore the origins of the HKSAR's peculiar constitutional structure and analyse its impact on governance, conflict resolution, and the development of political leadership.
- Climate Change Negotiations: Can Asia Change the Game?, 2008: a compilation of essays by different scholars, consdering Asia’s objectives, concerns, aspirations, and responsibilities in addressing global climate change.
Notes
- ^ http://sdsymposium.susdev.gov.hk/txt_eng/speakers28.htm
- ^ http://civic-exchange.org/eng
- ^ http://civic-exchange.org/eng/about_what_we_do.aspx
- ^ http://civic-exchange.org/eng/about_mission.aspx
- ^ http://chinaperspectives.revues.org/document1833.html
- ^ "Democracy Project 2005"
- ^ "Racing for Gold"
- ^ http://www.civic-exchange.org/eng/upload/files/200405_Election1stSurvey.pdf
- ^ "Sustainability Tools"
- ^ http://www.civic-exchange.org/index.php?cat=59
- ^ "Hedley Environmental Index"
- ^ http://air.dialogue.org.hk/web/eng/news/top.php
- ^ http://civic-exchange.org/eng/press_pressrelease_090110AirConference.aspx
- ^ http://civic-exchange.org/eng/upload/files/200302_BudgetReport.pdf
- ^ "Civic Express — Hong Kong's Blogazine", Civic Exchange Annual Report 2005, pp18
- ^ "Civic Exchange's FORA.tv Channel"
- ^ http://civic-exchange.org/eng/internship_existing_programme.aspx
External links
Categories:- Non-profit organisations based in Hong Kong
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