The political economy of loose regulation: modernity meets tradition in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a fascinating social place, where one can observe the interplay between powerful forces of modernization and deeply entrenched pre-industrial consumption patterns. For decades, the former did not encroach on the autonomy of grassroots-style forms of health care, but the enactment of the Chinese Medicine Ordinance in 1999 has brought the latter under the grip of the state, albeit in a weak sense of the term. This particular episode may offer insights into the dynamics of the two-way adjustment that takes place when divergent paths of mainstream and traditional sectors inevitably cross, prompting regulatory and developmental responses.