Social stability and economic growth

Since the 1967 demonstrations, when a spillover from the Cultural Revolution in China undermined the colonial administration, the Macao government has been fundamentally concerned with the search for social stability and the need to find sources of sustainable economic growth. All governments, of course, have to pay attention to the stability of their societies and the means by which they seek to promote economic development. But in Macao those issues have been central to the way in which the polity functions. They found expression, during the colonial era, in the construction of a corporatist political order which was designed to promote stability and they have continued to dominate the government's policy agenda since the resumption of Chinese sovereignty in 1999. For example, in November 2009, when the outgoing Chief Executive, Edmund Ho Hau Wah, was asked about the achievements of his decade-long administration, he listed improvements in 'social stability, public order, economic development and bettr quality of life for residents' as his principal accomplishments (Macao SAR Government, 2009). Moreover, the government has seen stability - implicitly defined as the presence of social harmony, citizen satisfaction with the quality of life, and the absence of political disturbances - as directly linked to economic success. The assumption is that rapid economic growth will generate more gainful employment and better quality public goods and services which, in turn, will result in greater stability. © 2011 by The Hong Kong University Press, HKU. All rights reserved.