| This thesis uses Hong Kong as a case study to illuminate the phases, dynamics and processes of democratisation. In terms of the phases of democratisation, Hong Kong has been following a linear model, moving from the preparatory phase before 1984 into the background phase after the Sino-British Joint Declaration was reached in 1984. Yet, China uses the Basic Law--Hong Kong's mini-constitution after 1997--to postpone the decision phase of democratisation in the territory.The case study of Hong Kong offers several lessons on the processes of democratisation. The Hong Kong case shows (1) the uncertainties caused by the external factor in the transition from authoritarianism (2) the significance of factors other than the split within the ruling elites in democratisation (3) the popular pressure for further liberalisation and institutional reforms in the wake of democratisation (4) the positive role of political groups in both liberalisation and democratisation (5) the interrelationship between the external factor and elite strife (6) the importance of elite choices on democratic reforms and (7) the different responses of various middle-class segments to democratisation.The dynamics of democratisation in Hong Kong have varied with time. Institutional reform in 1982 was not due to the China factor, but to administrative decentralisation. But the China factor became influential in 1984 when Britain introduced democratic reforms in order to protect Hong Kong's autonomy vis-a-vis China after 1997. China's Tiananmen incident in 1989 triggered an "explosion of civil society" in Hong Kong and changed the British policy towards the colony. While Britain is like a soft-liner in support of Hong Kong's democratisation, China remains a hard-liner opposing any drastic political change in the territory. Since 1984, China has become both a stimulus and an obstacle to democratisation in Hong Kong. |
