https://www.scmp.com/rss/325152/feed Dr Ruth A. Shapiro is chief executive of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com There has been talk in recent months about which Asian city is best positioned to become a regional hub for philanthropy. Hong Kong is the obvious and natural choice for four reasons. First, Hong Kong has a long and impressive history of philanthropy shaped by three forces: British colonialism, Chinese values and a laissez faire state. When the British ruled Hong Kong, they followed a policy of “positive non-intervention”, which meant that trade was the focal point of government, while... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3165806/hong-kong-poised-be-asias-regional-philanthropy-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3165806/hong-kong-poised-be-asias-regional-philanthropy-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Feb 2022 11:30:27 +0000 In the parable of the stone soup, a man came into a village and asked those living there what their problems were. “We are hungry,” they replied. He told them that he could make delicious soup from a stone. Amazed, they cried that this could be their solution. Setting up a cauldron in the town square, he placed a stone and water in the pot. After a few minutes, he said, “This soup will be delicious. But if only we had an onion it would be so much more so.”  A villager came forward with an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125222/how-china-achieved-its-poverty-alleviation-goal-seasoning-its-stone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3125222/how-china-achieved-its-poverty-alleviation-goal-seasoning-its-stone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 00:30:14 +0000 Online giving is changing charity in Asia. Crowdfunding, especially, changes the way the social sector operates, and its reach is growing rapidly. Nowhere is this more true than in mainland China, where crowdfunding has skyrocketed in recent years.  According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, in 2018, of the 8.46 billion yuan (US$1.22 billion) in donations made to charitable organisations, 3.17 billion yuan went to the 20 outline platforms available on the mainland. This is a 26.8 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3015381/crowdfunding-charity-why-mainland-china-leads-hong-kong-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3015381/crowdfunding-charity-why-mainland-china-leads-hong-kong-online?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jun 2019 09:00:14 +0000 The Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society has just released its inaugural Doing Good Index, which looks at the factors that both enable and hinder philanthropy and other kinds of private social investment in Asia. We found that Asia has enormous potential to do good. If Asia were to donate the equivalent of 2 per cent of its GDP, the same as the United States, it would unleash US$507 billion (HK$3.9 trillion) annually. This is more than 11 times the foreign aid flowing into the region every... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2130987/philanthropy-asia-needs-push-good-government-policies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2130987/philanthropy-asia-needs-push-good-government-policies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jan 2018 05:59:13 +0000 The Charity Aid Foundation recently released its annual World Giving Index. To collect data for the survey, people are asked if, over the past month, they have helped a stranger, donated money to a charity or volunteered time at an organisation. Hong Kong ranked 25th out of the 139 economies in the survey, with 43 per cent saying they had done at least one of these activities in the last month. The index offers one lens to see how charitable people are but there are other means to evaluate... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2110333/hong-kongs-spirit-charitable-giving-strengthened-its-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2110333/hong-kongs-spirit-charitable-giving-strengthened-its-history?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Sep 2017 06:01:06 +0000