Fashioning New Values in Hong Kong

The article traces the development of the social enterprise sector in Hong Kong and how policymakers, civil society, and corporations have embraced the concept of “shared value.” Despite the sector’s small size, social enterprises in Hong Kong have actively tapped into the free market culture and created tremendous impact not only locally, but regionally, particularly in mainland China and Taiwan. The success of the Hong Kong’s social enterprise movement can be attributed to the government effectively partnering with civil society without an overriding political agenda driving and shaping their work. One of the key reasons that this partnership is laudable is the way in which public policy and the emergence of civil society have helped social enterprises actualise their mission over the past decade. Today, these forces are fueling the gradual growth of social businesses, and they continue to shape the unique characteristics of social innovation in Hong Kong.