A new think tank has launched in Hong Kong to address a perceived talent shortage in local studies, as universities shift their focus toward global topics. The Hong Kong Future Economy Institute, formed by a group of scholars, professionals, and former government officials, aims to fill this gap by conducting research on pressing local issues such as housing planning, population policy, and the impact assessments of policymaking.
Michael Bolin Wong, the founding director of the institute and an assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) business school, highlighted the decline in local research during a media briefing last week. He pointed out that the internationalization of Hong Kong’s universities has led to fewer scholars dedicating their efforts to city-specific topics.
“Hong Kong universities are continuing with internationalisation and so are their teachers. But when they increasingly focus on topics with more international attention, fewer people are researching Hong Kong,” Wong said, underscoring the shortage of talent in policy research for the city.
The institute positions itself as a necessary alternative model to supplement academic efforts. Wong emphasized that universities alone may not be equipped to resolve this shortfall, stating, “Universities may not be able to address such a shortage … so we need a new model to offer the policy research that Hong Kong requires.”
By targeting areas like housing planning and population policy, the Hong Kong Future Economy Institute seeks to provide data-driven insights that could influence local governance and economic strategies. The group’s formation comes amid ongoing discussions about Hong Kong’s future development, where localized expertise is seen as increasingly vital.
This initiative reflects broader concerns about the balance between global and local academic priorities in Hong Kong, potentially paving the way for more think tanks to emerge in response to similar gaps in other policy domains.
