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Hong Kong Today + Globalization
Every year, there are always global rankings of various sizes released. Last month, Hong Kong lost its top spot as the world's freest economy. For the first time in 25 years, it fell behind Singapore. The government expressed disappointment. However, looking at another authoritative indicator performance table, the 2019 Human Development Index, Hong Kong has achieved outstanding results, ranking 4th (index 0.939), rising three places compared to 2018.
The Human Development Index is an internationally recognized and important reference for judging national competitiveness. For example, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund often use this index as a reference to determine allocation and aid standards for developing countries. In what aspects does Hong Kong perform well? What aspects need to be improved?
News excerpts
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) released the 2019 Human Development Report and Human Development Index. Among the 189 countries and regions that participated in the selection, Norway ranked the country with the highest living standard in the world, followed by Switzerland. . Hong Kong's ranking rose to fourth place from seventh place in the previous year, tied with Germany and higher than the United Kingdom and the United States, which were also ranked 15th. The mainland ranked 85th. Hong Kong also has the longest life expectancy in the world, with an average life expectancy of nearly 85 years.
The report pointed out that although many people have escaped the threats of poverty, disease and hunger, in the face of increasing inequality, demonstrations have occurred frequently around the world, involving different reasons such as bus fares, gas prices, and the pursuit of freedom, triggering people to take to the streets.
Excerpted from "Sing Tao Daily" on December 11, 2019
Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Development Program:The wave of demonstrations sweeping the world is a clear signal that despite our progress, something about our globalized society is not working well. Those in power need to understand that unless they respond to people's suffering, their legitimacy will be challenged.
Pan Xuezhi, associate researcher at the Shanghai-Hong Kong Development Joint Institute of the Chinese University of Hong Kong:Countries with high human development index rankings also have large-scale demonstrations, such as Chile, which ranks 42nd. This reflects that people in developed countries may have higher demands on society. In addition to economics, political demands are also the reason why people take to the streets.
Jahan, Director of the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Program:Although there is optimism that the gap is narrowing, the huge gap in people's well-being remains unacceptable. Inequality in various forms and levels between and within countries limits people's opportunities and choices, which obviously hinders human progress.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi:China is still a developing country. Although its economic aggregate has reached the second place in the world, its human development index ranks after 80 in the world. There is still a clear gap between China's science and technology and education level and that of developed countries.
Analyze the pros and cons of Hong Kong Development Index
Of course, we should be happy that Hong Kong has achieved good results in the Human Development Index. However, Hong Kong experienced social turmoil last year, which may have an impact on the new "score list". Therefore, everyone should use this as a self-evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses and explore the path to future development.
Economy: Great disparity between rich and poor, high cost of living
The per capita annual income in Hong Kong is more than US$60,000, which is higher than many developed countries. However, this figure does not fully reflect the asset wealth of Hong Kong people. Since 2010, the United Nations has added wealth inequality factors to the results of HDI and published another report "Inequality-adjusted HDI" (abbreviation IHDI). Hong Kong's IHDI score dropped significantly by 13.2% to 0.815 points, which shows that the inequality between rich and poor in Hong Kong is quite serious.
In fact, Hong Kong's latest Gini coefficient is 0.539, "the highest" among the world's developed economies. Moreover, high national income also reflects the social problem of high cost of living. As shown in the "2019 Global Cost of Living Ranking" released by the British Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU2), Hong Kong jumped to the top of the list, ranking first with Paris, France and Singapore. Tied for first place in the world.
Health: The world’s longest life expectancy policy is not implemented
As medical services continue to improve and citizens become more concerned about their health, the average life expectancy in Hong Kong continues to increase. In terms of "life expectancy" in the Human Development Index, Hong Kong has the longest life expectancy in the world at 84.7 years, surpassing countries such as Japan and Switzerland. Long life is supposed to be a good thing, but as Hong Kong people generally delay marriage and childbearing, the problem of population aging continues to worsen.
The government estimates that the proportion of the population aged 65 and above will rise rapidly from 17.9% in 2018 to 31.1% in 2036. However, the Hong Kong government's policies on population aging are not in place, such as how to implement retirement protection, improve medical support and elderly care policies, making longevity a hidden concern for society.
Society: The gap between China and Hong Kong is huge and it is difficult for the two places to integrate
Hong Kong ranks 4th among 189 countries and regions in the Human Development Index, far behind China, which ranks 85th. This shows that there is a gap in the development progress of the two places.
Some scholars believe that the ranking reflects that Hong Kong is far behind the mainland in terms of education, per capita income, personal safety index, etc., revealing problems in the integration of China and Hong Kong. Last year's "Return to China" movement showed that Hong Kong people are worried and distrustful about being sent back to the Mainland for interrogation; other examples include "anti-parallel importers", "anti-free travel", the spread of the "new coronavirus", etc. Related The problems are not easy to solve. As exchanges between China and Hong Kong become more frequent, I believe that the conflicts between China and Hong Kong will become more intense.
Life: quality of life, pursuit of freedom
The Human Development Index has only three major indicators: health, education and income. It does not include factors such as political environment, personal freedom, environmental conservation, social justice, and cultural diversity, and cannot reflect the true quality of life.
Referring to another United Nations survey, the "happiness index" of Hong Kong people ranks only 71st among 155 countries and regions around the world. Although "happiness" is a subjective feeling, this ranking clearly lags behind the objective results of Hong Kong people. This is probably related to high property prices, low opportunities for upward mobility for young people, and serious social divisions. As the summary of the Human Development Index report points out, global poverty is gradually being eliminated, and people are seeking freedom and justice. This has also contributed to the global demonstrations and protests in recent years, reminding governments everywhere that they must face it.
Published from "S-file General Encyclopedia" on April 20, 2020. Text: Time Picture: Xingdao Picture Library
