Ethnocentric bias in the comparative study of social welfare: the case of welfare reforms in Hong Kong

Abstract

By studying the debate on whether the pro-market reforms in Hong Kong are positively related to Confucianism, this paper is intended to contribute to the examination of the importance of two views on the ethnocentric bias in the comparative study of social welfare. The first view attributes the bias to the under-emphasis between the western and non-western governments in organising social welfare. The second view attributes the bias to the over-emphasis on the similarities between the western and non-western governments in organising social welfare. Based on the study of Hong Kong as a case, this paper argues that both views enhance our understanding of how non-western governments organise social welfare in response to their cultural heritage and the ideas upheld by some western governments.