Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/57709

Religious groups in Hong Kong have long played an important role in social welfare. A large amount of education, medical care, and social services are provided to the general public by Christian, Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and folk religious organizations. While it is estimated that over 90% of social services in Hong Kong are run by NGO/NPOs (The Hong Kong Council of Social Services), religious groups make up approximately 70% of such services. How has religion become an important contributor in the social welfare system of Hong Kong? What is the historical context that gave rise to this? And what are the differences in social services provided by various religious groups in terms of quantity and types? This paper attempts to answers these questions by reviewing the role of religious groups in Hong Kong’s social welfare development and the social services they offer from the perspective of organizational integrity and state-religion relation.