My research examines how public policy in Hong Kong is designed, implemented and experienced. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, I study how policy objectives translate into institutional arrangements, administrative practice and outcomes for the city and its residents.
From policy commitments
to institutional outcomes.
Fiona QUAN is a doctoral student in Policy Studies at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. Her work examines the relationship between policy objectives, institutional design, implementation and outcomes, asking how public policy responds to urban development and the needs of different social groups. Her interests span housing, healthcare, education, ageing, talent development and young people's opportunities for upward mobility.
Her current focus is Hong Kong's talent policies and their governance outcomes, including the Top Talent Pass Scheme, the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, employment-based admission and arrangements for non-local graduates. She examines these pathways alongside housing affordability, education, employment and skills matching, public services, social integration and decisions to remain in Hong Kong. The emphasis is on what follows admission: professional development and the city's capacity to support it.
Her approach combines systematic data collection and analysis with qualitative and quantitative methods. It considers how policies are designed and how they are implemented, understood and responded to in practice. By examining differences in experiences and outcomes across groups, she seeks to develop evidence-based analysis attentive to both institutional design and the conditions of implementation.
Examining how objectives, institutional arrangements and implementation shape outcomes in housing, healthcare, education and ageing, with attention to the experiences of different groups.
Studying Hong Kong's talent policies beyond admission: employment and skills matching, housing affordability, public services, social integration and longer-term decisions to remain in the city.
Examining how institutional conditions shape young people's access to education, employment, housing and opportunities for advancement, and how public policy responds to these needs.
Submitted recommendations to the Xuzhou Youth Federation on developing young scientific and technological talent and supporting university graduates who seek employment in the city.
As a representative of doctoral students in Hong Kong, offered views on regulatory coordination between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, mutual recognition of professional qualifications and the mobility of young talent.
Helped organise a visit by doctoral students from Hong Kong and Macao to Taizhou, examining local industries, talent development and opportunities for cooperation with young people from the two cities.
Attended activities associated with the Zhuhai–Hong Kong–Macao university entrepreneurship incubation programme as an invited guest and took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Discussions addressed youth entrepreneurship, access to industry resources and cooperation across the three cities.
Invited guest · Ribbon-cutting ceremony
Helped organise and chaired a seminar on the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The discussion brought together Hong Kong deputies and members with university students to discuss national development, opportunities for Hong Kong and young people's prospects. The event was covered by Wen Wei Po and other media.
Co-organiser and chair
As Vice-President of the Alumni Association of the Hong Kong Mainland Students Association, led the organisation of a historical and development study visit for young doctoral scholars to Xuzhou. The group visited sites of the city's economic development and discussed talent, urban development and business internationalisation. Discussions explored how Hong Kong's capabilities could support mainland firms expanding overseas, including its potential role as their first point of international engagement.
Vice-President, Alumni Association of the Hong Kong Mainland Students Association · Lead organiser
Read the Western Returned Scholars Association report ↗As Vice-President of the Alumni Association of the Hong Kong Mainland Students Association, hosted a delegation from the City University of Macau Postgraduate Association to discuss youth exchange and cooperation between student organisations.
Vice-President, Alumni Association of the Hong Kong Mainland Students Association · Hosting the delegation
Represented Hong Kong university students in the signing of a friendship and cooperation agreement. Discussions addressed youth talent exchange and regional cooperation between Hong Kong and Macao, including the relationship between formal cooperation arrangements and youth-led exchange. The focus was on the practical challenges of moving from shared objectives and institutional coordination to implementation: information exchange, access to resources and cross-border mobility.
Hong Kong university student representative · Cooperation agreement
Fiona brings policy research into public discussion and practical recommendations on governance in Hong Kong, talent policy, youth development and regional cooperation. Her contributions examine how institutional design responds to concrete governance challenges. Her views and proposals have been reported by mainstream media and documented by public bodies and civil society organisations.
Fiona QUAN · Member, Zhengqing
A policy studies perspective on the relationship between Hong Kong's first five-year plan and the 2026 Policy Address, examining how long-term strategy, annual implementation and predictability in governance fit together.
Commented on a court ruling from a policy research perspective, considering the relationship between the rule of law, national security and the judicial system under “one country, two systems”, and the importance of a stable legal environment for Hong Kong's long-term development.
Vice-President, Alumni Association of the Hong Kong Mainland Students Association | Talent ambassador representative
Speaking as Vice-President of the Alumni Association of the Hong Kong Mainland Students Association and a talent ambassador representative, examined why geographical proximity and improved transport do not automatically create integrated labour markets. Her remarks compared the institutional arrangements linking Zhuhai and Macao through Hengqin with talent exchange between Zhuhai and Hong Kong. They considered how Hong Kong university students and professionals could connect more effectively with Zhuhai's industries, and how recruitment could be followed by training, suitable employment and long-term retention.
Drawing on her links with universities and youth associations in Hong Kong, proposed a stronger role for youth organisations in connecting government talent policies with prospective participants. Earlier coordination of policy information, employers' needs, available positions and young people's aspirations could address gaps between the existence of a scheme and awareness of it, and between vacancies and suitable applicants.
Member, Xuzhou Youth Federation
Participating in a Xuzhou–Hong Kong youth exchange as a member of the Xuzhou Youth Federation, examined how Xuzhou's industrial base and role as a centre of the Huaihai Economic Zone could connect with Hong Kong's finance, trade, shipping and professional services. Her remarks considered Xuzhou's transition from a traditional industrial city towards advanced manufacturing, modern services and cultural tourism. A particular concern was how established strengths such as construction machinery could draw on Hong Kong's financing, trade finance, supply-chain expertise and international networks to build capacity for overseas business.
Drawing on her Youth Federation role and her study, work and youth association networks in Hong Kong, proposed that youth organisations connect Xuzhou's young professionals, businesses and industrial needs with Hong Kong's universities, professional services and commercial networks. The aim was to extend reciprocal visits into talent matching, business cooperation and practical economic connections, addressing gaps in information, resource matching and project implementation.
Hong Kong university student representative · Thematic speaker
Speaking as a Hong Kong university student representative, used the Qianhai Shenzhen–Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone to examine how regional cooperation can be translated into regulatory coordination, compatible administrative arrangements, recognition of professional qualifications and cross-border practice. She considered what Longgang might learn from Qianhai: whether arrangements for cross-border professional services could be adapted to an economy centred on technology, advanced manufacturing and the commercialisation of research. The discussion addressed the obstacles to transferring institutional models where strategic functions, administrative powers, workforce needs and implementation conditions differ.
Doctoral researcher in Policy Studies | Invited participant and contributor
Invited to attend and contribute views as a doctoral researcher in Policy Studies, compared Hainan and Hong Kong within China's wider strategy of opening to international markets. Her remarks examined their distinct institutional foundations, economic functions and comparative advantages: Hainan's island-wide free trade port framework, special customs arrangements, tax policies and international tourism and consumption, alongside Hong Kong's finance, shipping, trade, professional services and global connections under “one country, two systems”. The central question was whether the two economies compete to perform similar functions or can develop a deeper complementarity grounded in their institutional differences.
Doctoral studies in Policy Studies · 2023–present
Research focus: Talent Policy Design and Governance Outcomes in Hong Kong
Research priorities: Admission patterns, retention, skills matching and policy objectives
Her doctoral research examines whom Hong Kong's talent admission schemes attract, whether incoming talent remains in the city over the longer term, and how effectively their skills align with the structure and needs of the local economy. It further evaluates the extent to which observed policy outcomes correspond with the objectives originally set by the Hong Kong Government.
Master’s degree in Public Affairs, Department of Philosophy
Research focus: Public Governance in Hong Kong
Research priorities: Executive–legislative roles, coordination and oversight
Examining the institutional roles of the executive and legislature, with particular attention to functional division, policy coordination, oversight and their implications for governance outcomes.
Educational services · Study visits to Hong Kong · Cross-border exchange
Experience in organising Hong Kong study visits and cross-border educational programmes for groups from across mainland China. Her work includes programme planning, resource coordination and delivery, spanning university visits, academic exchange, urban study, youth exchange and learning in the city.
Working with groups of different sizes and from different regions has provided experience in delivering large-scale study programmes in Hong Kong. This practice also informs her continuing observations on cross-border education, youth mobility, higher education resources and demand for services in the city.
Studying policy
and its consequences in practice.
Q's Hong Kong Public Policy Commentary
Visit the WeChat public account →Please get in touch about public policy, urban governance, youth development, or opportunities for research and public affairs collaboration.
Q's Hong Kong Public Policy Commentary
WeChat public account · Public Policy Commentary
