Researching people beyond the state: a preliminary study of German expatriates in Hong Kong and governance performance

Abstract

This paper provides some preliminary findings of ongoing research about German 'expatriates'. Specifically, it offers some initial insights into the demographic profile of the German migrant population in Hong Kong and a generic discussion about their concerns and needs in terms of the German government. The paper draws on the author‘s recent fieldwork research conducted in Hong Kong, including survey-questioning and interviewing. The paper begins with a few introductory remarks concerning the current state of, particularly, German migration research and an outline of the questions framing this paper as arising from the preceding considerations. This is followed by a short introduction of the materials and data collection methods behind the paper. The paper continues by presenting an early overview of the size and composition of the German expatriate population in Hong Kong. It then delves into some governance issues pertaining to them. A concluding section sums up the most important findings of this research to date.