ABSTRACT
The regime change in 1997 brought in a locally selected Chief Executive, Tung Chee-hwa, from outside the government. His policy styles and preferences contested the colonial trustee-type Public Service Bargain where senior civil servants controlled almost all significant policymaking roles in Hong Kong. The structural reform, the Principal Official Accountability System, is a top-down programme introduced by Tung in response to the public demand for a more accountable civil service and political executive. It is his attempt to shift policymaking roles from civil servants to political executives. The reform enabled Tung to select personnel who supported his proactive policy agenda from outside the government.
