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The role of social innovation policy in social service sector reform: Evidence from Hong Kong

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2021

CHEE HON CHAN Open the ORCID record for CHEE HON CHAN [Opens in a new window] ,
CHERYL HIU-KWAN CHUI Open the ORCID record for CHERYL HIU-KWAN CHUI [Opens in a new window]  and
YANTO CHANDRA Open the ORCID record for YANTO CHANDRA [Opens in a new window]
CHEE HON CHAN
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong email: gchc@hku.hk Address: 2/F, 5 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
CHERYL HIU-KWAN CHUI
Affiliation:
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong email: chkchui@hku.hk
YANTO CHANDRA
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Social Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University email: yanto.chandra@polyu.edu.hk
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Abstract

This article illustrates how the term “social innovation” is used in the public policy domain in Hong Kong in relation to the new public management (NPM) reform of the social service sector, which originated in the early 2000s. Through document reviews and interviews, the role that social innovation policy has played in instigating changes in the contemporary social service field in the post-NPM era is identified. This includes facilitating emergence of “new” forms of social entrepreneurial activities to fill unmet social needs, empowering new actors in entering the social service sector, and reinforcing the government’s position in the NPM reform. Adopting historical institutionalism as the analytical framework, multiple path-dependent characteristics arising from the historical legacies of the incumbent social service environment – such as the longstanding partnership between the state and non-profits – are highlighted. These historical factors have weakened the efficacy of the policy efforts aimed at enacting institutional change. Overall, this article demonstrates how historical context matters in the emergence and framing of social innovation policy. It contributes to the theorisation of the role of social innovation in social service sector development in East Asia.

Keywords

social innovationsocial service reformnew public managementinstitutional changenon-profit sectorHong Kong
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 51 , Issue 2 , April 2022 , pp. 346 - 364
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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