Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1997

highlights of RGC-funded Projects demand, the new government cannot base its legitimacy on anti-colonialism. The problem cannot be ameliorated even by the emergence of respected local leaders in the SAR government. The successor regime wil l quite possibly be seen as less legitimate than the colonial regime in the immediate years that follow 1997. And this is yet another distinguishing feature o f Hong Kong's decolonization. On the other hand , since the legitimacy of the colonial regime is narrowly based on the utilitarian calculations of the colonial subjects, the new regime should not find it too difficult to establish its own legitimacy by maintaining a sound economy after the transfer of sovereignty and by p r ov i d i ng an efficient and benign administration. SAR Government to Benefit from Continued Research Prof. Lau often quotes the survey results when he is asked to comment on current affairs and local political issues. And when performing hi s duties as a member of the Hong Kong SAR Preparatory Committee and as convener of the task force for designing the election procedures for the SAR's first Legislative Council, he again draws heavily on his research findings. He points out that th e design of new political institutions must accord w i th the attitudes and political values of the Hong Kong people and their readiness to participate. A haphazard speeding up of democratization can ruin the very things they value. Ha v i ng studied Hong Kong' s political culture since the mid-70s. Prof. Lau observes, 'Research experience and research results lead on to fresh topics worth exploring. At the same time, new phenomena and new issues created by the drastic changes i n Hong Kong warrant our close attention. Research therefore is never-ending.' I n collaboration w i t h localand Ame r i can scholars Prof. Lau embarked on a research project entitled 'Decline of Authority, Social Conflict and Social Reintegration in Hong Kong: Patterns of Social Change i n the Last Years of British Rule' in 1994, the results of which w i l l soon be released. In the summer of 1996, he began another study on Hong Kong people's attitudes towards the Chinese and the British governments on the eve of the handover. He and Prof. Kuan Hsin-chi have also applied for funding from the Research Grants Council to study the 1998 Legislative Council elections. For him, indeed, research is never-ending. A Political Culture Unique to Hong Kong 31