The Department of Politics and Public Administration (PPA) at the University of Hong Kong is a founding department of the Faculty of Social Sciences. HKU’s teaching of politics and public administration began over a century ago, with the first political science course being offered in 1915. The University planned to set up an academic unit modeled after the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1937. This led to the creation of the Department of Economics and Political Science from which the Department of Political Science emerged in 1970. In September 1993, the department was renamed the Department of Politics and Public Administration to better reflect its long-standing commitment to teaching and research in both political science and public administration.
During the past four decades, the Department has contributed to advancements in its field both locally and internationally through excellence in research, teaching, and service to the community.
Distinction in Research
Distinction in Research
The Department takes pride in the research achievements of its staff. Our staff’s research outputs regularly appear in top-tier journals such as the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, the British Journal of Political Science, the European Journal of Political Research, International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory and Political, to name but a few. Our faculty also publish books in esteemed university presses including Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Princeton University Press, and many others.
PPA’s research primarily focuses on four subfields: comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and public administration. The Centre for Civil Society and Governance, which is anchored in the Department, engages in pioneering research on civil society in Hong Kong. The Centre on Contemporary China and the World, formed in 2024, has established itself as a forum for enhancing research-based dialogue with high-level practitioners and academics.
Several faculty members hold positions on the editorial committees of major academic journals, and the Department itself has been publishing a leading journal in Asia, the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, since 1979.
The Department has developed extensive academic and research collaborations with major overseas and Chinese Mainland institutions of higher education such as George Washington University, Indiana University, University of Pittsburgh, Peking University, Fudan University, and Tsinghua University, among others.
Excellence in Teaching
Excellence in Teaching
The Department is a core teaching unit in the Faculty’s Bachelor of Social Science programme. We also offer the highly successful and competitive double-degree programme Bachelor of Social Sciences (Government and Laws) & Bachelor of Laws [BSocSc (GL) & LLB] which admits top local and overseas students. Since its inception in 1999, the admission scores of this programme have been within the top 10 at HKU. Our graduates have pursued promising careers not only in the legal profession, but also in the public and private sectors. Many of our graduates have been recruited into the selective grade of Administrative Officers (AOs) in the Hong Kong SAR Government. Other graduates have also won prestigious scholarships such as the Rhodes, Swires, and Chevening to pursue further studies in top schools like Columbia, Harvard, and Oxford.
Our taught post-graduate programmes, namely Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of International and Public Affairs (MIPA), are among the most renowned in Hong Kong and throughout the Asia Pacific region. Our graduates from these programmes are now serving in important positions in the HKSAR Government and public sector. A number of senior officers in HKSAR Government such as Mr. Alan LAI Nin (Ombudsman), and Mr. CHIANG Yam-wang (Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data) are graduates of our MPA programme. Mr TSANG Tak-sing, Secretary for Home Affairs, and Mr TANG King-shing, former Commissioner of Police, are graduates of the first batch of our MIPA class. In addition, the Department launched the Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) programme in 2013-14. Many of our other graduates have pursued exciting careers in government service, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, journalism and media, law, business, and education.
Our Research Postgraduate programme has continued to attract outstanding students from Hong Kong, Maindland China, Italy, Canada, Japan, Spain, and other countries. These students have the opportunity to obtain valuable research and methodological training and attend overseas conferences during their studies. Many succeed in securing fellowships and scholarships to conduct overseas research.
Service to Our Community
Contribution to Our Community
Every year we host many seminars and other events including our faculty as well as local and international visitors to enrich the public discourse in Hong Kong. We are proud to have welcomed a number of prominent guests to offer lectures and seminars to the public and the HKU community.
For more information, please visit our Events page.
