Research Projects
Law
Research Projects
Administrative,
Business and
Social Studies
Medicine,
Dentistry
and Health:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Civil and
Structural
Engineering
Electrical and
Electronic
Engineering
Computing
Sciences,
Information
Technology
and Applied
Mathematics
Mechanical,
Production and
Industrial
Engineering
including
Textiles and
Clothing
THE BANKRUPTCY (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE OF 1994
To study the changes made in the new legislation and to discuss the importance of this major effort to reform Hong Kong's bankruptcy laws.
Investigator: Mr. C.D. Booth
Department: Professional Legal Education
Starting date: 1994.01
CORPORATE REORGANIZATION IN HONG KONG
To analyze the proposals of the law reform commission of Hong Kong regarding corporate rehabilitation.
Investigator: Mr. C.D. Booth
Department: Professional Legal Education
Starting date: 1997.04
CONTESTED CONFESSIONS IN HONG KONG MAGISTRATES' COURTS
To secure accurate empirical data as to: (i) the extent; (ii) the nature; (iii) the processing and (iv) the disposition of contested confessions in criminal treats at magistracy level in Hong Kong.
Investigator: Ms J.M. Brabyn
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1995.06
CONTESTED CONFESSIONS IN THE HONG KONG DISTRICT COURTS
To obtain reliable information about the frequency of contested confessions in the districts courts, the percentage of court time consumed by such challenges, the nature of the challenges made by the defendants, the quality of evidence offered by the prosecution, the attitudes of the judges towards confession evidence generally and towards the challenges in actual cases, the rate of prosecution / defendant success, the significance of admission / exclusion decisions on conviction / acquittal rates.
Investigator: Ms J.M. Brabyn
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1996.07
COURT ANNEXED MEDIATION SERVICES IN HONG KONG
To examine the viability of ADR as an alternative to Civil Litigation in the resolution of disputes, with particular attention to the use of mediation. This will involve a comparison of the forms and use of mediation services in another common law jurisdiction i.e. New South Wales. I will look in particular at the use of mediation in respect of personal injuries litigation.
Investigator: Miss J.R. Burton
Department: Professional Legal Education
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1996.03
INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND LABOUR STANDARDS AND FOREIGN DOMESTIC WORKERS IN HONG KONG
To examine the applicability of international human rights guarantees and international labour standards to foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong and the manner in which Hong Kong law and practice conforms or fails to conform to these standards.
Investigator: Mr. A.C. Byrnes
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1991.05
INTERNATIONAL LAW, NATIONAL LAW AND THE TRANSNATIONAL ASPECTS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AGAINST CHILDREN
To examine present and proposed international and national legal responses to the phenomenon of transnational sexual abuse of children, in particular sex tourism.
Investigator: Mr. A.C. Byrnes
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1993.07
CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN
To prepare comprehensive, critical commentary on the 1979 convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.
Investigator: Mr. A.C. Byrnes
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1994.05
HONG KONG TREATY SUCCESSION PROJECT: HONG KONG'S INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AFTER 1997
To examine from international law, diplomatic, political and economic perspectives the process and outcome of the negotiation of Hong Kong's position in the international community in the transition to Chinese rule in 1997; the particular focus of the project will be the steps being taken by the British and Chinese governments to ensure that existing treaty arrangements from which Hong Kong benefits due to its status as a British dependent territory continue beyond 1997 so far as possible or are replaced by other appropriate arrangements.
Investigators: Mr. A.C. Byrnes (Principal)
Ms J.M. Brabyn
Professor J.M.M. Chan
Professor R. Mushkat
Dr. J. Tang
Departments: Law
Politics and Public Administration
Source of funding: Hong Kong Research Grants Council
Starting date: 1995.01
HONG KONG COMPANY LAW IN THE 21ST CENTURY: DIRECTIONS FOR CHANGE?
To identify future directions for Hong Kong company law using a comparative study of United Kingdom, French and Germany company law. In particular to analyse the current reforms on ultra vires and the protection of creditors in "modern" company law theory and to provide a theoretical framework for the protection of creditors in Hong Kong company law.
Investigator: Mrs. A.R. Carver
Department: Professional Legal Education
Starting date: 1996.07
NATIONALITY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND TERRITORIAL CHANGE
This research studies how international human rights law have affected the acquisition, change and loss of nationality of inhabitants of a territory when there is a change of sovereignty.
Investigator: Professor J.M.M. Chan
Department: Law
Starting date: 1988.01
HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE BASIC LAW BULLETIN
To note and comment, on a periodical basis, on the latest developments of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights and the Basic Law.
Investigators: Professor J.M.M. Chan (Principal)
Mr. A.C. Byrnes
Department: Law
Starting date: 1991.11
THE HONG KONG PUBLIC LAW REPORTS
To compile and edit a series of law reports on various aspects of public law in Hong Kong, and in particular, decisions under the Bill of Rights.
Investigators: Professor J.M.M. Chan (Principal)
Mr. A.C. Byrnes
Mr. G. Edwards
Department: Law
Starting date: 1992.05
HONG KONG'S BILL OF RIGHTS: THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AS DOMESTIC LAW
To conduct a systematic and comprehensive study on each of the provisions of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights ordinance and the impact of international human rights norms on the domestic legal system.
Investigators: Professor J.M.M. Chan (Principal)
Mr. A.C. Byrnes
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1992.07
IMMIGRATION LAW AND POLICY IN HONG KONG: PAST, PRESENT AND THE FUTURE
To follow the development of immigration law and policy in Hong Kong since the Second World War; to analyse existing immigration case law; to examine Hong Kong immigration law and policy in the light of international human rights standards, especially the rights of the family and those of the children; to study the problems that will arise or have already arisen under the Basic Law as well as the consequence of the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong.
Investigators: Professor J.M.M. Chan (Principal)
Dr. B.A. Rwezaura
Department: Law
Source of funding: Hong Kong Research Grants Council
Starting date: 1995.09
TRADITIONAL CHINESE LEGAL CULTURE AND THE PROJECT OF LEGAL MODERNISATION
To investigate the nature, structure and characteristics of traditional Chinese legal culture and its changes in the course of history, comparing it with the Wesrern legal tradition, and, in the light of this investigation, explore the challenges of the current project of legal modernisation in mainland China.
Investigator: Professor A.H.Y. Chen
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1994.07
GLOBALISATION AND CHINESE LAW: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE CONTEMPORARY LEGAL SYSTEM BUILDING IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
To consider the application of globalisation theory and other social theories to the understanding and interpretation of legal developments in contemporary China.
Investigator: Professor A.H.Y. Chen
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1996.07
THE LITERATURE OF HONG KONG LAW: THE STATE OF THE DISCIPLINE
To analyse the scope and nature of resources available for the study of the law of Hong Kong, and the approaches and assumptions, and to a lesser extent the value, of the secondary literature (in English) on that law; to provoke debate about the future directions of legal research in Hong Kong; to publish a bibliography of Hong Kong law, the content of which will form the basis for the analysis.
Investigators: Miss J.H. Cottrell (Principal)
Ms E.M. Nash
Departments: Law
University Libraries
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1995.02
LAWS AND POLICIES OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT IN SHANGHAI: THE CHALLENGE OF PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS IN CHINA
Analysis of new private property rights emerging from China's economic reform and their challenge to and impact on the existing legal and policy framework within which the state and citizens negotiate their changing relationships.
Investigator: Dr. X. Feng
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1993.11 Completion date: 1999.06
"RIGHTS OF AUTONOMY" AND PRC LABOUR LAW: THE MAKING OF THE NEW WORKER, HIS MANAGER, AND THEIR ENTERPRISE
A study of labour relations and labour disputes in China arising from recent development of "rights of autonomy" of the enterprises, with particular attention to legitimation of the new state-manager/enterprise-worker relationship.
Investigator: Dr. X. Feng
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1994.07 Completion date: 1999.06
A STUDY OF NEW PROPOSALS AND EXPERIMENTS OF ENFORCEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN THE PRC
To study the effectiveness of types of actions and remedies in enforcing established intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the People's Republic of China by means of a critical evaluation of the recently proposed reforms in relevant substantive and procedural laws.
Investigator: Dr. X. Feng
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1997.07 Completion date: 1999.06
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF GERMAN AND HONG KONG COPYRIGHT LAWS WITH REGARD TO MULTIMEDIA AND INTERNET USE OF COPYRIGHT MATERIALS
To examine application of copyright protection in multimedia and internet environment in Germany and Hong Kong.
Investigators: Dr. X. Feng (Principal)
Professor B. Steckler
Departments: Law
Fachhochschule Bielefeld, Germany
Source of funding: Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme
Starting date: 1998.01
THE CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN KENYA
To examine the constitutional order (i.e. consititutional law and practice) as it has developed in Kenya since its independence in 1963 and to explore the scope in it of the application of human rights.
Investigator: Professor Y.P. Ghai
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1991.05
ETHNIC CONFLICT IN ASIA
An analysis of research and evaluation of policy measures.
Investigator: Professor Y.P. Ghai
Department: Law
Starting date: 1992.06
THE BILL OF RIGHTS ORDINANCE: HISTORY, INTERPRETATION AND IMPACT
To study the Bill of Rights Ordinance in three principal aspects: the history and politics of its enactment, the scope and meaning of its provisions, and its impact on law and administration. The aim is to further our understanding of the Ordinance to ensure that its provisions are properly applied and developed. An important objective is public education in the Ordinance, to enable legal practitioners and judges to acquire greater familiarity with the background to and the interpretations of terms, and to increase the awareness of other professional and social groups of their rights and the potential of the Ordinance in realising them.
Investigators: Professor Y.P. Ghai (Principal)
Mr. A.C. Byrnes
Professor J.M.M. Chan
Professor R.I. Wacks
Department: Law
Source of funding: Hong Kong Research Grants Council
Starting date: 1992.10
THE BASIC LAW OF THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
To analyse the provision of the Baisc Law and to discuss how the political and legal system of Hong Kong would ooperate after June 1997.
Investigator: Professor Y.P. Ghai
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1994.07
A SOCIO-ECONOMIC STUDY OF THE HONG KONG LEGAL SYSTEM
To examine the importance of the law and legal institutions in Hong Kong society and economy.
Investigators: Professor Y.P. Ghai (Principal)
Miss J.H. Cottrell
Department: Law
Source of funding: Hong Kong Research Grants Council
Starting date: 1995.01
THE SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF HONG KONG LEGAL SYSTEM
To stimulate research on the sociological aspects of Hong Kong's legal system; to produce a collection on various aspect of the law - public as well as commercial to examine law operates in practice, which kinds of interests are presented through it,
Investigator: Professor Y.P. Ghai
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1996.12
CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN FIJI
To examine the interaction between ethnicity and constitutional development, and to analyse the new constitutional arrangements adopted in August 1997.
Investigator: Professor Y.P. Ghai
Department: Law
Starting date: 1997.05
CONSTITUTIONS AND ETHNICITY: CASE STUDY OF FIJI
To describe and analyse the making of the 1997 Constitution of Fiji and to examine its provisions.
Investigator: Professor Y.P. Ghai
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1998.07
INSOLVENCY LAW AND PRACTICE IN SHENZHEN AND ITS EFFECT ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS IN THE HKSAR
(i) To analyse the law and practice arising out of the insolvency regime in Shenzhen; (ii) to assess the impact on, and attitudes of, the participants in the insolvency process (workers, managers, foreign investors, financial institutions, professional advisers and government officials), and to investigate the influence of the Government and Communist Party in the insolvency process; (iii) to ascertain the effectiveness of the existing insolvency regime; (iv) to assess the likely impact on (i) and (ii) above of the pending new insolvency law which will apply throughout the mainland PRC; and to make suggestions, if any, for improving the pending new law and to assess its possible evolvement in the future; (v) to assess the potential for conflict between the Shenzhen and the HKSAR insolvency regimes, and to suggest a framework of rules for dealing with insolvencies where both Shenzhen and HKSAR parties are involved.
Investigators: Mr. S.H. Goo (Principal)
Mr. C.D. Booth
Mr. P.ST.J. Smart
Departments: Law
Professional Legal Education
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1998.07
TRADITIONAL RIGHTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES INDIGENUOUS INHABITANTS AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS
To investigate the nature and scope of the succession right of the New Territories indigenuous inhabitants to Tsos and Tongs and the compatibility of the preservation of these rights with the Bill of Rights.
Investigators: Ms L.K.S. Ho (Principal)
Professor J.M.M. Chan
Department: Law
Starting date: 1993.06
EQUITY IN HONG KONG
To explore and evaluate the law and policy of the operation of equitable principles in Hong Kong commercial law, and to make suggestions for law reforms, in the hope that there will be doctrinal re-adjustment of the existing law.
Investigator: Ms L.K.S. Ho
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1995.07
CENTRAL-LOCAL LEGISLATIVE RELATIONSHIP IN CHINA
To explore the following issues: 1) How to strike a balance between centralization and decentralization of the legislative power? 2) What lessons can China learn from other countries, such as U.S., to archive such balance? 3) What devices should China utilize to construct its legislative system? 4) Will law on legislation be the best and final solution to solve the problems in the division of legislative powers? 5) What impact, if any, Hong Kong's special legislative power will bring to the China's legislative system? A thorough investigation into these issues will be beneficial to solve the problems faced by China in building its legislative systems.
Investigators: Dr. Y.H. Li (Principal)
Dr. X. Feng
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1998.04 Completion date: 1999.07
THE RIGHT TO REPRODUCE AND THE RIGHT TO FOUND A FAMILY
To collect material relevant in the writing of a book provisionally entitled The Right to Reproduce and The Right to Found A Family.
Investigator: Dr. A.N.C. Liu
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1988.12
FAMILY LAW: THE LAW RELATING TO MARRIAGE, DIVORCE, COHABITATION, PARENT AND CHILD: THE PAST, PRESENT AND INTO 1997
To examine the present state of family law and its future developments.
Investigator: Dr. A.N.C. Liu
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1992.07
LEGAL ASPECTS OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE
To examine the present state of the law and its interaction with individual health care and medicine.
Investigator: Dr. A.N.C. Liu
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1993.07
FAMILY LAW DATABASE PROJECT
To collect the family law data systematically from court files.
Investigator: Dr. A.N.C. Liu
Department: Law
Source of funding: The Freemasons' Fund for East Asian Studies
Starting date: 1995.10
JUDICIAL DATA ON FAMILY LAW
To collect historical statistics in relation to divorce proceedings in the courts.
Investigator: Dr. A.N.C. Liu
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1996.07
PUBLISHED CASES IN THE GAZETTE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA SUPREME PEOPLE'S COURT: A TRANSLATION AND THE COMMENTARY
To examine the case law in shaping and developing the new legal system in the People's Republic of China.
Investigator: Dr. N.P. Liu
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1996.07
INTEGRATING THE QUALITY, CONTRACTUAL AND OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES OF HONG KONG CONTRACTORS
To investigate the quality, contractual, and operational procedures of Hong Kong contractors in delivering projects; to determine the relative importance and effectiveness of the three types of procedures by rating and weighing the questionnaire responses; to determine to what extent these procedures follow best practice guidelines on private projects; to report on inconsistencies in the three types of procedures; to recommend changes where warranted to improve existing procedures; to develop a model rationalised set of procedures and documentation.
Investigator: Mr. J.A. McInnis
Department: Professional Legal Education
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1998.07
HONG KONG AND INTERNATIONAL LAW - A CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE
To produce a book on key issues of international law which are of great relevance to pre- and post-1997 Hong Kong.
Investigator: Professor R. Mushkat
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1994.07
NON-TRIAL ADVOCACY
To identify the elements of effective strategic planning used by expert lawyers in solving non-trial advocacy problems; based on this identification, to design models of effective problem-solving so that students can enhance their understanding of how lawyers persuade.
Investigator: Mr. S.B. Nathanson
Department: Professional Legal Education
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1997.07
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION FOR COMPUTER SOFTWARE IN HONG KONG AND CHINA
To perform a comparative study of intellectual property protection for computer software in Hong Kong and China; to assess such protection in the two jurisdictions against international standards; to offer insights for harmonising the relevant laws in Hong Kong and China; to assist software owners in protecting their software in the two regions.
Investigator: Dr. K.H. Pun
Department: Computer Science and Information Systems
Source of funding: Hong Kong Research Grants Council
Starting date: 1999.01
THE PROTECTION OF PRIVACY IN HONG KONG
To provide the first comprehensive legal analysis of the law and practice affecting individual privacy in Hong Kong.
Investigator: Professor R.I. Wacks
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1995.07
THE "INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY" AND PERSONAL DATA: TOWARDS A NEW LEGAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROTECTION OF PRIVACY IN A DIGITAL WORLD
To study the following: 1) Do conventional justifications for the protection of "privacy" and forms of legal protection generated or contemplated need to be reconceived? 2) Does the new digital technology call for only minor adjustments to our intellectual and legal framework? 3) What sorts of argument may be necessary to sustain the importance of the value of "privacy" in the digital present and future? 4) Do the (often imprecise) legal and conceptual support systems for both "privacy" and - since communication is involved - free speech, adequately capture the range of interests and expectations that the electronic age promises? 5) What are the limits of the law in safeguarding electronic "privacy"? 6) What impact will the provisions of the European Directive (particularly those in respect of "transborder data flow") have on Hong Kong in view of our recently enacted Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance? 7) With an increasing quantity of data moving between Hong Kong and China, will the People's Republic of China will need to adopt similar legislation, and how might this be achieved?
Investigator: Professor R.I. Wacks
Department: Law
Source of funding: Hong Kong Research Grants Council
Starting date: 1997.07
SELF-DETERMINATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN EAST TIMOR
To collect materials for analysis of the illegal occupation of East Timor by Indonesia with reference to international human rights norms.
Investigator: Professor P. Wesley-Smith
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1993.01
ASPECTS OF THE HONG KONG LEGAL SYSTEM
To explore different aspects of, and examine various questions relating to, the legal system in Hong Kong.
Investigator: Professor P. Wesley-Smith
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1994.07
NINETEENTH CENTURY HONG KONG
To provide a translation of a volume on 19th Century Hong Kong published by Xinhua in Beijing.
Investigator: Professor P. Wesley-Smith
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1996.07
REFORM OF CIVIL PROCEDURE AND CIVIL PROCESS
To write a book, including contributors from the Judiciary and private practice identifying problems in the civil process and suggesting solutions to those problems.
Investigators: Professor R.M. Wilkinson (Principal)
Miss J.R. Burton
Department: Professional Legal Education
Starting date: 1998.09
A STUDENT'S GUIDE TO HONG KONG CONVEYANCING
To write a third edition of a student's guide to conveyancing in Hong Kong.
Investigators: Professor R.M. Wilkinson (Principal)
Ms J.E. Sihombing
Departments: Professional Legal Education
Law
Starting date: 1999.05
THE LAW OF TAKEOVERS: A SEARCH FOR NARMATIVE RATIONALES AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS
This is an interdisciplinary study of takeover provisions in corporate law and securities regulation. Particular attention is paid to the early warning provisions and compulsory purchase provisions related to takeover transactions.
Investigator: Dr. G.H. Yu
Department: Law
Source of funding: Committee on Research and Conference Grants
Starting date: 1998.07
 |
 |
 |