What is the policy intended to change?
Identify objectives relating to labour supply, industrial development and competition for talent, and clarify the expectations and criteria against which outcomes can be assessed.
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RESEARCH FRAMEWORK & METHODS
Research Framework & Methods
An approach to public policy and urban governance, with a current focus on Hong Kong's talent policies.
Core Research Framework
02 / ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORKHong Kong's Talent Admission Policies: Objectives, Implementation and Outcomes
A current research priority is to trace the relationship between the objectives and outcomes of Hong Kong's talent policies across the policy process, examining professional development, urban capacity and differences in policy experience across groups.
How is the policy expected to work?
Examine the logic underlying eligibility criteria, application and residence arrangements, employment conditions and supporting measures.
What happens in practice?
Analyse information flows, administrative processes, employer demand and applicants' decisions to identify where gaps may emerge.
Which outcomes should be measured?
Distinguish approvals from actual arrival, suitable employment and continued residence, and examine how outcomes vary across groups.
Where could policy improve?
Assess the causes of observed gaps and identify improvements that account for implementation costs, institutional coordination and the public interest.
Beyond approval figures: do incoming professionals find suitable opportunities, and does the city provide conditions for their longer-term development?
Admission Pathways Covered
Top Talent Pass · TTPS
Top Talent Pass Scheme
Research interest: Connections between selection, actual employment and longer-term development in Hong Kong.
Quality Migrant Admission · QMASQuality Migrant Admission Scheme
Research interest: How selection mechanisms align professional capabilities with the city's needs.
Employment-based admission · ASMTP / GEPAdmission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals / General Employment Policy
Research interest: Employer demand, skills matching and professional development, distinguishing pathways according to applicants' backgrounds.
Non-local graduates · IANGImmigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates
Research interest: The transition from education in Hong Kong to employment and continued residence.
Scheme names link directly to official Immigration Department information. The questions above describe personal research interests.
Data & Research Methods
03 / MIXED METHODSIdentifying differences in the data.
Explaining the mechanisms behind them.
The research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, bringing policy documents, available statistical data and participants' experiences into dialogue. It connects evidence across policy design, implementation and individual outcomes.
Data collection prioritises source verification, clear indicator definitions, consistent time periods and comparability. Analysis distinguishes outputs, outcomes and longer-term effects, taking account of economic cycles, industry demand and applicants' backgrounds when assessing policy performance.
How policy is interpreted, implemented and experienced
The research design combines policy document analysis, interviews and comparative case studies to examine changing objectives, participants' experiences and the role of institutional arrangements in practice.
When outcomes emerge, and for whom
Descriptive statistics, group comparisons and models appropriate to the available data are used to examine differences across policy pathways and populations, and to assess the scope and limitations of observed associations.
Methods follow the research question and available evidence. Changes before and after a policy must be considered alongside other influences before their relationship to that policy can be assessed.