Understanding the Umbrella Movement from the perspective of governance in post-1997 Hong Kong

Since the handover of sovereignity in 1997, social conflict and popular mobilization have been challenging the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. This culminated in the Umbrella Movement: beneath the calls for universal suffrage lie people’s grievances about the government’s incapability in alleviating socioeconomic inequalities and the attendant problems. I will argue that such incompetence is rooted in the ‘built-in’ weaknesses of Hong Kong’s political structure.