The Positives of International Joint Effort of Political Science Research in Hong Kong
Associate Professor Dr Edmund CHENG of CityU’s Department of Public Policy explains the importance of connecting with people who provide access to different knowledge and expertise
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Dr Edmund CHENG has had a lifelong fascination with state-society relations. Cheng completed his PhD in Government at the London School of Economics (LSE) with a thesis that touched on Chinese grassroots politics.
Cheng’s family emigrated from mainland China to Hong Kong more than three decades ago. Witnessing all manner of changes on the mainland from his new home in the then British colony fuelled his interest in examining societal and political changes. Eventually this interest made him enrol on a programme focusing on political sociology during his university life. His research interests ranged from contentious politics and public opinion surveys to Hong Kong politics and global China.
“When I was about to complete my bachelor’s degree, I struggled between whether I should enter the government department or pursue a law degree,” Cheng says. The young graduate would soon find that his interests propelled him towards the further study of politics, specifically about China. “In China, there is a domain that changes dramatically after opening up after so many years, which has been a timely phenomenon yet to be fully conceptualised.”
Cheng joined several research centres after he acquired a master’s degree at LSE, then returned to the London university for his doctorate, after concluding that there is more freedom in pursuing an academic career than joining a think tank.
“It gives you more flexibility,” he explains. “You can determine your own research agenda, roughly speaking. You can actually travel abroad to meet with other colleagues. The cool thing about Hong Kong is that it is highly internationalised and you actually have good relations and collaboration opportunities with the outside world.”