ABSTRACT
Hong Kong has been ranked the world's freest economy for the eighteenth consecutive year by the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom. This chapter discusses the case of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) from the perspective of civic engagement and cultural policy-making involving four major actors, the government, the business community, the arts and culture community, and the general public, in the post-1997 governance crisis under a regime that lacks political legitimacy. It provides an overview of the governance and cultural policy context of Hong Kong will precede an analysis of the WKCD development. The chapter focuses on primary sources of discourse including government and public documents such as the Chief Executives (CE) Annual Policy Address, and government committee and media reports. It discusses on the conditions and factors that contribute to an enabling civic engagement environment and the implications for the government's civic engagement practices in a semi-democracy.
