香港留学生社会学dissertation范文：法定最低工资的社会学解析

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香港需要法定最低工资

近年来，“有工作的穷人”（立法会2005年）成为香港著名的词汇，当时香港的经济不断发展，贫困人口的数量也越来越大，根据社会对香港会议的报告指出（2010年），有126万人生活在贫困之中，人们要求更多的就业补贴帮助贫困的人。与此同时，行政长官在行政会议上已通过了临时最低工资委员会（PMWC）设置首个法定最低工资28美元每小时的建议;行政长官会同行政会议决定，首个法定最低工资水平将于5月1日生效，2011年立法会准备讨论最低工资标准，一些政治人士如李卓人（2010年）是要求提早实施法定最低工资的日期。

不过，也有一些政治人士对法定最低工资仍持有不同的意见，如张宇人（2010年）。在香港，该法定最低工资政策的第一个参数将影响市场的自由，目前在香港特区政府成立一个法定最低工资成功的关键之一，是将损害自由市场甚至演绎出企业的竞争力。

In recent years, working poor (legislative council 2005) became a famous term in Hong Kong, when the economy of Hong Kong is continuously developing, the number of poverty people is also growing up, according to the report of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (2010), there are 1.26 million people are living in poverty, those sound ask for more job subsidies to help poor people. At the same time, The Chief Executive-in-Council has adopted the recommendation of the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission (PMWC) to set the initial statutory minimum wage rate at $28 per hour; The Chief Executive-in-Council has also decided that the initial statutory minimum wage rate will come into force on May 1, 2011. The legislative council has been going to discuss the minimum wage, some politics likes Lee Cheuk-Yan (2010) was asking for early implement date of statutory minimum wage.

However, there are some politics and people still hold difference views to the statutory minimum wage, such as Cheung Yu-Yan (2010). The first argument of statutory minimum wage is the policy will affect the market freedom, one of the successful key in Hong Kong, now when Hong Kong government set up a statutory minimum wage, will harm the market freedom even deduce enterprise’s competitiveness. But in another view, if there is no statutory minimum wage, poor people cannot get a stable income to maintain their living.

In liberal society, government should give no interfere of the market, and under a free platform people can fight for their interest themselves. In this social context, the smart, hard working guys can earn more money, and some nothigh competitive people may be earn less money, but it is their own problem. It seems fair of difference people earn difference amount of money. However, in the post industrial society (Bell Daniel, 1974), Hong Kong became knowledge-base society from industrial society, in the new social context, some lower qualification and unskilled people cannot well survive in Hong Kong, although they can find job in Hong Kong, they have less bargaining power in knowledge-base society (Robert M Grant, 1996), the result is, they earn less money, even work in so-called working poor. If there are just a few amount of number is working poor, we may define it’s just an individual problem, but when there are almost 480000 people working with lower than $5000 monthly income, it’s not a individual problem, it is also a result of the changes of society.

This paper is going to illustrate that why statutory minimum wage is needed in Hong Kong, and to what extent statutory minimum wage the policy will disable. Except the introduction, there are several different parts, including of the paradox of market freedom, adoption of liberal egalitarianism, knowledge-based society how to drive people poor, briefly history of legislation of statutory minimum wage in Hong Kong, side effect of statutory minimum wage, Hong Kong’s poor people need statutory minimum wage, to what extent statutory minimum wage will be disabled, how to make policy well and the conclusion.

Paradox of market freedom

M.Friedman (1980) named Hong Kong is the last resort if free market in the world, he thinks that the free market ideology was the key factor for the success of Hong Kong economy over years. Before 1997, Hong Kong government was practice the “positive non-intervention policy”. Under the “positive non-intervention policy”, the low tax rate and market freedom made Hong Kong became very successful trading port in the world. Hong Kong has been leading Economic Freedom for 15 straight years (1996-2010) according to the “Index of Economic Freedom” (Economist), no other country has ever surpassed it. When the enterprise competes in a free platform, and Hong Kong people develop their career in those situation, it seems very fair for fighting interest. However, free market will adjust well itself? We all know that, free market means people can work and earn money well, but earn more or less based on their ability, in the other words, it can also based on market value. If a person is high qualified and with strong senses, who deserve get more in free market, it’s fair. And if a person is low qualified even unskilled, who deserve get less in the concept of free market, it’s also fair. However, although some people earn more and some people earn less, is it means people should earn less money even the amount can just satisfy their very basic needs?

The most advantage of market freedom is people can earn whatever by their sense and putting effort, but the market value of some people is harsh too. If a person with no skill and low qualification, he is very hard working to earn money, he should not get much more money, but it doesn’t mean the amount he earn is extremely not enough by supporting his living.

Except market value, labour value is also counting on the supply and demand. The demand of low skill and low qualification people is not very strong, even it’s a bit of oversupply, the amount of those people is too high, and the result then is because there are many choices in employer’s hands, so they do not have to give a good salary to those people. But the same question occurs again, they are less demand, is it means they can just earn very less money? The problem is not earning very less money, is the amount of money cannot satisfy their needs, it is fair too?

In face of the employers, low skilled and low qualification people has no more bargaining power, maybe they should earn less, but when the salary is not enough for living, the question is not market value effective or not, but for it is perfect ornot. People likes M.Friedman (1962) thinks that market freedom is benefit for society economy. However, even it is benefit for economy, benefits the smart, hard working and high qualification people, should government consider about the low skilled and low qualification people.

Effective is not equal to perfect, free market ideology is a effective way in Hong Kong’s economy, but when 1.26 million people are living poor, even the GDP in 2009 are over 1,632,284 millions (Census and Statistics Department), it’s just mean Hong Kong people are making a large product amount, not equal to most of Hong Kong people living with stable income. It’s not going to deny the market freedom ideology, it’s the time to consider that, Hong Kong government still has to practice those “positive non-intervention policy” or “small government, big market” ideology? If the answer is yes, there is a question government should thinking of, if the amounts of poor people keep rising, GDP is just a beautiful number to show how Hong Kong prosperous? Moreover, if amounts of poor people keep rising, it’s not a short term problems, it’s a long term social problems of Hong Kong, over million people living bad, they can’t get a reasonable income through working, would they choose to forgive the job and get the CSSA? If people keep live in a poor situation, will they do some criminal things to get money?

Adoptation of liberal egalitarianism

Previous argument not to criticize the effectiveness of the free market ideology, but doubting how is the system perfect or not. If free market failure to make every people living in a happiness way, then people should reconsider how to make it better, the meaning of better is not emphasis on maximize the profit and make the GDP of Hong Kong going up, it’s about how government use policy to make society more equal for people get reasonable income.

In those circumstances, shall liberal egalitarianism (Dworkin, R., 1975) be the ideology of solve the problems of market freedom ideology?

“each person is to have an equal right to basic liberties” and “eventual social and economic inequalities could be tolerated if they are both (i) for the greatest benefit of the least advantage and (ii) attached to offices and positions open to all”.( John Rawls, 1971)

Dworkin, R.(1975) criticize the proposition of liberties and equality by John Rawls(1971), and Rawls’s attempt to show that basic liberties are more important than economical and social differences is flawed. But in Dworkin’s (1975) theory seems that there is no real conflict between freedom and equality, and society should puts equality as a ground of liberalism.

According to Winsby, Meghan A(2006), “Luck egalitarianism is an approach to liberal egalitarian distributive justice, the goal of which is to provide a measure of how resources are to be divided in accordance with a guiding principle of equal concern and respect for citizens.”

In order to maintain the equality and respect the people, liberal egalitarian is an ideology liberalism to modify the liberalism, and under some sorts of distributive measure, people will be more concerned. In the other words, Liberal egalitarianism means people should distribute resources so that people can freely decide their life plans; it sounds good, but liberal egalitarianism is difficult to entirely implement in Hong Kong context, the reason is simple, free market ideology is the core ideology in Hong Kong, people should not deny the whole system to make poor people live better, but people can modify the system to improve poor people’s living, may be minimum wage is a form to do so.

Share the resources equally, government can rising the tax rate, and then distribute the resources to poor people, but the core problem comes again, except the free market ideology, low tax rate (Inland Revenue Department 2010) is also a successful key of Hong Kong, if rising up the tax rate, the competitiveness may be reduce in this context. Thus, it means rising up tax rate may not be the best method to distribute recourses. In the aims of distribute resources, there are two main standings, Neo-voluntary support practice the policy of universal basic income, it can also described it as statutory minimum wage in Hong Kong; Neo-liberal just think that government should give job subsidy. There is a very controversial issue between both argument, but exclude the controversial agreement, Hong Kong now is going to practice both policies for the cheap labour, Why say that? It is because on the side of universal basic income, Hong Kong will implement the statutory minimum wage in next year; on the other side, transport support scheme will be expanded to all Hong Kong labour if their monthly income is $6500 or below.

Implement of statutory minimum wage and expand transport support scheme, it’s the form of practice the ideology of liberal egalitarianism. The relationship between liberal egalitarianism and statutory minimum wage, it’s about use the regulatory policy, to distribute the resources from employers to employees. However, it is not going to ask the employers to distribute their profits to employees equally, and just distribute more money to employees, in the other words, reasonable income which can support labour living needs.

Knowledge-based society how to drive people poor

People always say that Hong Kong now is a knowledge-based society (Robert M Grant 1996), industrial economy is gone through already, in the context of knowledge-based society or post industrial society (Bell, Daniel 1974), why it makes people getting poor? In 70’s and 80’s, Hong Kong is a typical industrial economy society, the development of light industry like textile and clothing is dominant. The unemployment rate from 1982to 1990 was just around 2% to 4% (graph 1). However, form 1990 to 1999, the unemployment was going up from about 2% to 6%, the manufacturing industry and the construction industry is two of the serious unemployment occupations.

When the economy changes, the vacancies likes manufacturing industry reduce hugely(graph 2), the result is people working in those industries will lose their job, and then in a knowledge base society, they have no survival skill and no qualification, what can they do? In the new context of economy, though they can find a new job, their bargaining power are very weak, because they have no knowledge in the new context of society, and the result is earn lower income. The problem is not they are earning lower income, is they just earn extremely low incomes; Even the income cannot support the living needs.

(因篇幅限制，此处省略部分图表数据描述，原文图表信息不变)

Briefly history of legislation of statutory minimum wage in Hong Kong

The debates of set up statutory wage in Hong Kong has been discussing over years, from the document of legislative council, the first paper of propose statutory minimum wage in Hong Kong is in 1998, the panel noted the research paper on “proposal on Minimum wage in Hong Kong” by HKSSS (Hong Kong Social Security Society). Although statutory was being discussed in those years, government has no real action for the legislation of statutory minimum wage until 2009. Before the establish of Provisional Minimum Wage Commission (PMWC), government was doing something to encourage the employers give more salary to specific workers such as cleaning workers and security guards, it is a Wage protection Movement(2006). Unfortunately, the Wage Protection Movement cannot get the expected result, according to the survey of The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions(2007), there were just 30 more organizations of 8000 more organizations joined the scheme.

In February 2009, Provisional Minimum Wage Commission (PMWC) is established, in November 2010, Executive Council accepted and adopted the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission’s suggestion, and announced that the statutory minimum wage will be set up on $28 per hour, believe that the statutory minimum wage will be implemented on May2011.

Side effects of statutory minimum wage

When people talking about the side effects of statutory minimum wage, causes more unemployment seems a must. According to the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission... (原文后续段落完整保留) ***

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