This book presents a novel interpretation of Hong Kong's governance crisis, moving beyond an opposition-centred explanation of post-1997 politics, to a state-centric perspective based on governing coalition building and state capacity. By establishing the causal relationship between the failure of the state-business governing coalition and the governance crisis facing the post-colonial state, Brian C. H. Fong broadens our understanding of the governance problems and political confrontations after 1997.

Part I: Governance Under Hybrid Regimes: The Case of Hong Kong 1. Governance Crisis in Post-1997 Hong Kong: In Search of A New Theoretical Explanation 2. Governance and the State: Revisiting the Concepts and Theories of State Capacity Part II: The Legacy of State-business Alliance in Hong Kong: From Colonial Time to Transitional Period 3. Reinterpreting Governance and State Capacity in Colonial Time: The Colonial State-business Alliance 4. The Crafting of the Post-1997 State-business Alliance: Beijing's Governing Strategy After 1997 Part III Missing Link Between State, Business and Society: The Growing Erosion of the Intermediary Role of Business Elites in Post-1997 Hong Kong 5. The Missing Link Between State and Business: The Fragmentation of Agents of Business Interests 6. The Widening Gap Between State and Society: The Growing Disconnection of Business Sector from Local Community Part IV: Uneasy Partnership Between State and Business: The Rising Power Leverages of Business Sector in Post-1997 Hong Kong 7. Institutionalization of Business Power Under the HKSAR Political System: Chief Executive Election Committee and Functional Constituencies 8. Business Sector's Direct Access to the Sovereign State: The Close Partnership between Beijing and the Local Capitalists Part V: Rethinking Hong Kong's Governance Under Chinese Sovereignty: From Opposition-Centered Explanation to A Critical Analysis of Governing Coalition Building 9. Conclusion: Rethinking the Governance Crisis in Post-1997 Hong Kong 10. Epilogue: Hong Kong's Governance In the Aftermath of 2012 Chief Executive Election: Governing Coalition Built on Sands

Brian C. H. Fong is Assistant Professor in the Department of Asian and Policy Studies, Hong Kong Institute of Education.