title: Power, participation and everyday politics within state-led urban renewal in Hong Kong

authors: Sewell, Kate Emma

subjects: Urban renewal

abstract: This thesis identifies and examines the ways power, participation, and everyday politics shape urban renewal outcomes in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has a long history of state-led urban renewal, which continues to lead to displacement and change the form and function of neighbourhoods. Driven by profit, and a culture in which redevelopment represents progress, Hong Kong's urban development context is shaped by ongoing coloniality, increased integration with China, growing inequality, and a rapidly changing civil society with evolving and competing urban aspirations.

Scholarly narratives of Hong Kong and its urban development practices and outcomes are ordinarily set against Eurocentric global city narratives that emphasise its rapid transition from a colonial outpost in the nineteenth century to a global financial hub. These narratives fail to capture diverse everyday aspirations, perceptions, and experiences of urban renewal in Hong Kong, including those related to the interventions of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA). This thesis demonstrates how used in conjunction, analytical optics of postcolonial and postpolitical theory can enrich understanding of outcomes of state-led urban renewal in Hong Kong. This study draws on a range of qualitative methods, including interviews, participatory stakeholder mapping, focus groups, and historical and contemporary documents, to generate rich data supporting new insights into Hong Kong's urban development context, and advances critical urban theory.

Analysing urban renewal outcomes in Hong Kong through postcolonial urban and postpolitics optics highlights three critical insights. Firstly, urban renewal outcomes in Hong Kong are shaped by competing and entangled urban aspirations. The URA elite utilises the inter-referenced urbanisms of other Asian cities to articulate and legitimise their urban aspirations. Notably, other competing interest groups also inter-reference other Asian cities to challenge the form and function of the URA, and this challenges and reinforces its taken-for-granted authority. Secondly, the URA, which functions as a corporation, uses various strategies to displace politics surrounding its aspirational profit-driven urban renewal practices. Paradoxically, this includes incorporating democratic principles and authoritarian-style disciplining tactics that strengthen the state's authority and creates a fertile ground for resistance, repoliticisation, and the enactment of everyday politics. Lastly, paying attention to urban informality and contrary to postpolitical scholarship that places 'proper politics' at a distance from the state (Etherington & Jones, 2018; Swyngedouw, 2014b), everyday politics is enacted and reconfigures state-society relations from between the state and non-state groups, and as already emphasised by postpolitical scholars, at a distance from the state. Moreover, these everyday acts of politics include the mobility of neighbourhood politics across the city and everyday acts of survival.

Critical insights developed in this thesis highlight the relational and situated nature of tensions between normalised and entrenched inequality on the one hand and everyday acts of politics on the other. Significantly, broadening our understanding of how power, participation, and everyday politics shape urban renewal outcomes also broadens possibilities for imagining and acting out alternative, more equitable urban development trajectories in Hong Kong.

text: Power, participation and everyday politics within state-led urban renewal in Hong Kong This thesis identifies and examines the ways power, participation, and everyday politics shape urban renewal outcomes in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has a long history of state-led urban renewal, which continues to lead to displacement and change the form and function of neighbourhoods. Driven by profit, and a culture in which redevelopment represents progress, Hong Kong's urban development context is shaped by ongoing coloniality, increased integration with China, growing inequality, and a rapidly changing civil society with evolving and competing urban aspirations.

Scholarly narratives of Hong Kong and its urban development practices and outcomes are ordinarily set against Eurocentric global city narratives that emphasise its rapid transition from a colonial outpost in the nineteenth century to a global financial hub. These narratives fail to capture diverse everyday aspirations, perceptions, and experiences of urban renewal in Hong Kong, including those related to the interventions of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA). This thesis demonstrates how used in conjunction, analytical optics of postcolonial and postpolitical theory can enrich understanding of outcomes of state-led urban renewal in Hong Kong. This study draws on a range of qualitative methods, including interviews, participatory stakeholder mapping, focus groups, and historical and contemporary documents, to generate rich data supporting new insights into Hong Kong's urban development context, and advances critical urban theory.

Analysing urban renewal outcomes in Hong Kong through postcolonial urban and postpolitics optics highlights three critical insights. Firstly, urban renewal outcomes in Hong Kong are shaped by competing and entangled urban aspirations. The URA elite utilises the inter-referenced urbanisms of other Asian cities to articulate and legitimise their urban aspirations. Notably, other competing interest groups also inter-reference other Asian cities to challenge the form and function of the URA, and this challenges and reinforces its taken-for-granted authority. Secondly, the URA, which functions as a corporation, uses various strategies to displace politics surrounding its aspirational profit-driven urban renewal practices. Paradoxically, this includes incorporating democratic principles and authoritarian-style disciplining tactics that strengthen the state's authority and creates a fertile ground for resistance, repoliticisation, and the enactment of everyday politics. Lastly, paying attention to urban informality and contrary to postpolitical scholarship that places 'proper politics' at a distance from the state (Etherington & Jones, 2018; Swyngedouw, 2014b), everyday politics is enacted and reconfigures state-society relations from between the state and non-state groups, and as already emphasised by postpolitical scholars, at a distance from the state. Moreover, these everyday acts of politics include the mobility of neighbourhood politics across the city and everyday acts of survival.

Critical insights developed in this thesis highlight the relational and situated nature of tensions between normalised and entrenched inequality on the one hand and everyday acts of politics on the other. Significantly, broadening our understanding of how power, participation, and everyday politics shape urban renewal outcomes also broadens possibilities for imagining and acting out alternative, more equitable urban development trajectories in Hong Kong.

year: 2022

title: The efficacy of principle-based corporate governance practices and firm financial performance: An empirical investigation

authors: Reddy, Krishna

subjects: boards of directors

abstract: Purpose – This paper seeks to address the effect that principle-based corporate governance practices have on the financial performance of large publicly-listed companies. In 2004, the New Zealand Securities Commission (NZSC) promulgated nine high level principles and guidelines for all business entities with an aim of improving corporate governance practices and boosting investor confidence in the New Zealand capital market. This event provides a point for empirically testing companies' responses. 
Design/methodology/approach – Panel data for the NZX top 50 companies over the period 1999-2007 are analysed using ordinary least squares (OLS) and two stage least squares (2SLS) regression techniques to evaluate whether: those firms that were continuously compliant with the NZSC requirements perform better; and the firm performance post-NZSC recommendations is better than pre-NZSC recommendations. Tobin's Q, market-to-book (MB) and return on assets (ROA) metrics are used as dependent variables.. 
Findings – The findings indicate that large listed companies have universally adopted the Securities Commission recommendations, establishing subcommittees for audit and remuneration, and having a majority of non-executive/independent directors on the board which, on average, have seven members. There is support for the view that the NZSC recommendations have had positive influence on firm performance measured by Tobin's Q, MB and ROA. The results show that the presence of a remuneration committee has had a positive influence on firm performance. 
Research limitations/implications – This study provides empirical support for the corporate governance recommendations made by the NZSC in 2004, giving support to the principle-based corporate governance practices to be adopted in New Zealand. The sequential testing of each NZSC recommendation provides a comprehensive picture of performance outcomes which has not been achieved in prior research. The interdependency issues are of interest and the correlation between recommendations provides useful insights. 
Originality/value – This study offers insights for policy makers interested in adopting principle-based corporate governance practices within their country. Within New Zealand, public policy developments and stock exchange listing requirements/regulatory issues with associated compliance burdens are better informed as a consequence of the research.

text: The efficacy of principle-based corporate governance practices and firm financial performance: An empirical investigation Purpose – This paper seeks to address the effect that principle-based corporate governance practices have on the financial performance of large publicly-listed companies. In 2004, the New Zealand Securities Commission (NZSC) promulgated nine high level principles and guidelines for all business entities with an aim of improving corporate governance practices and boosting investor confidence in the New Zealand capital market. This event provides a point for empirically testing companies' responses. 
Design/methodology/approach – Panel data for the NZX top 50 companies over the period 1999-2007 are analysed using ordinary least squares (OLS) and two stage least squares (2SLS) regression techniques to evaluate whether: those firms that were continuously compliant with the NZSC requirements perform better; and the firm performance post-NZSC recommendations is better than pre-NZSC recommendations. Tobin's Q, market-to-book (MB) and return on assets (ROA) metrics are used as dependent variables.. 
Findings – The findings indicate that large listed companies have universally adopted the Securities Commission recommendations, establishing subcommittees for audit and remuneration, and having a majority of non-executive/independent directors on the board which, on average, have seven members. There is support for the view that the NZSC recommendations have had positive influence on firm performance measured by Tobin's Q, MB and ROA. The results show that the presence of a remuneration committee has had a positive influence on firm performance. 
Research limitations/implications – This study provides empirical support for the corporate governance recommendations made by the NZSC in 2004, giving support to the principle-based corporate governance practices to be adopted in New Zealand. The sequential testing of each NZSC recommendation provides a comprehensive picture of performance outcomes which has not been achieved in prior research. The interdependency issues are of interest and the correlation between recommendations provides useful insights. 
Originality/value – This study offers insights for policy makers interested in adopting principle-based corporate governance practices within their country. Within New Zealand, public policy developments and stock exchange listing requirements/regulatory issues with associated compliance burdens are better informed as a consequence of the research.

year: 2010

title: Takuahi: Te oriori mō Tāmaunga-o-te-rangi - Mana atua, mana whenua, mana tangata

authors: Dewes, Mahue

subjects: Takuahi

abstract: E roa nei tātau te Māori nō ngā wā o Hawaiki e tito ana i te waiata, i te haka, i te oriori, i te mōteatea hei waka kawe i ngā kōrero tuku iho ki ngā whakatipuranga hou. He putuputu tonu ngā tūmomo karere, ka raua atu ki roto i wēnei momo titonga waiata a te Māori. Ka whārikihia e ngā tohunga kaitito ngā karere nei mā te reo kīwaha, mā te reo whakataukī, mā te reo auaha hei kura huna. Mei māmā te kimi, ka tohunga katoa ngā Māori. Kai te aroaro o te tuhingaroa nei, ka ketuketu i tētahi o ngā oriori o Ngāti Porou, otiā, nō Te Whānau-a-Hinerupe, ko te oriori mō Tāmaunga-o-te-rangi, nā Te Māperetahi. Mā konei ake e ruku atu ai ki te raparapa i ngā kura huna e whakatauira ana i te mana Atua, mana whenua, mana tangata hei mana ahi kā. Mā tēnā hoki e whakatauira te mana ahi kā, kai a Tama, otiā, hei tauira atu ki ngā uri o Te Whānau-a-Hinerupe i tō rātau ake ahi kā roa ki Te Kawakawa mai Tawhiti. Ko ngā kōrero kua kohingia, he kōrero nō ngā tāngata e mōhio ana ki ngā tūmomo mana, ā, ki ngā kōrero e pā ana ki te oriori nei. Ka iringia wēnei rau kōrero hei whakarākei tonu i te pae tapu o Te Whānau-a-Hinerupe.

text: Takuahi: Te oriori mō Tāmaunga-o-te-rangi - Mana atua, mana whenua, mana tangata E roa nei tātau te Māori nō ngā wā o Hawaiki e tito ana i te waiata, i te haka, i te oriori, i te mōteatea hei waka kawe i ngā kōrero tuku iho ki ngā whakatipuranga hou. He putuputu tonu ngā tūmomo karere, ka raua atu ki roto i wēnei momo titonga waiata a te Māori. Ka whārikihia e ngā tohunga kaitito ngā karere nei mā te reo kīwaha, mā te reo whakataukī, mā te reo auaha hei kura huna. Mei māmā te kimi, ka tohunga katoa ngā Māori. Kai te aroaro o te tuhingaroa nei, ka ketuketu i tētahi o ngā oriori o Ngāti Porou, otiā, nō Te Whānau-a-Hinerupe, ko te oriori mō Tāmaunga-o-te-rangi, nā Te Māperetahi. Mā konei ake e ruku atu ai ki te raparapa i ngā kura huna e whakatauira ana i te mana Atua, mana whenua, mana tangata hei mana ahi kā. Mā tēnā hoki e whakatauira te mana ahi kā, kai a Tama, otiā, hei tauira atu ki ngā uri o Te Whānau-a-Hinerupe i tō rātau ake ahi kā roa ki Te Kawakawa mai Tawhiti. Ko ngā kōrero kua kohingia, he kōrero nō ngā tāngata e mōhio ana ki ngā tūmomo mana, ā, ki ngā kōrero e pā ana ki te oriori nei. Ka iringia wēnei rau kōrero hei whakarākei tonu i te pae tapu o Te Whānau-a-Hinerupe.

year: 2016