Hong Kong Journal of Social Sciences

This paper examines how technological innovation and governance can be incorporated to improve maritime security and climate resilience in the Oman blue economy in accordance with the national Vision 2040 and Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water). We utilised a qualitative methodology and interviewed 15 Omani stakeholders in the public, private, and academic sectors, using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis of the data collection (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The results indicate disaggregated marine information systems that do not allow effective monitoring of illegal fishing, institutional silos between the environmental and fisheries departments and expose the coastal infrastructure to sea-level rise. Stakeholders highlighted the importance of the geospatial technologies (GIS, satellite monitoring) and nature-based solutions (mangrove restoration) to these problems. This paper adds a feasible Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure (MSDI) model to fit in the situation involving Oman with its decentralised governance system, suggesting unified data standards and an inter-ministerial control committee to allow coordinated activity. The work offers a journey of a scalable approach of arid coastal states to balance economic diversification with long-term conservation of the marine.

Keywords: Oman Vision 2040; blue economy; maritime security; climate resilience; marine spatial data infrastructure (MSDI); thematic analysis; stakeholder perspectives.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.66.9

The development of e-Government is driving the transformation of correctional governance in Indonesia towards a more transparent, accountable, and integrated system. This article examines the implementation of the Single Identity Number (SIN) as a digital identity innovation within Indonesia’s correctional system. The application of SIN aims to address persistent issues such as duplicate inmate data, difficulties in tracking violation histories, and inefficiencies in integrating services across law enforcement and correctional agencies. This study adopts a qualitative descriptive approach with a multi-case study design, data were collected from several overcrowded correctional institutions through in-depth interviews with correctional officers, information system designers, and officials from the Directorate General of Corrections. The study’s novelty lies in positioning digital identity innovation—previously underexplored in correctional administration—within the framework of e-Government and public sector digital transformation in developing countries. The findings reveal that SIN has significanty improve the accuracy of inmate data, expedite the delivery of integration rights, and strengthen interagency collaboration in law enforcement and social reintegration. However, key challenges include digital infrastructure readiness, data privacy protection, and resistance to adaptation at the operational level. The study contributes to the theoretical and practical to the development of a digital correctional governance model based on a unified identity in developing countries. Recommendations focus on strengthening regulations, enhancing human resource capacity, and promoting system integration among institutions to realize an effective and sustainable e-Government ecosystem in the correctional system.

Keywords: Correctional Governance; Digital Identity; E-Government, Public Administration Innovation; Single Identity Number (SIN).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.66.8

South African Police Service (SAPS) Community Service Centres (CSCs) across various provinces have long faced significant barriers that hinder effective service delivery to community members. This study focuses on the challenges encountered by the SAPS in providing services at the CSCs in Kraaifontein, Western Cape. It aims to explore the reasons behind issues such as lack of professionalism, insufficient resources, poor communication, and long wait times, all of which contribute to client dissatisfaction. Organized around three central themes community perceptions of SAPS CSCs, resource limitations on service delivery, and time and client management practices—the study reveals that inadequate service delivery leads to a loss of public trust and diminished community support. The research highlights effective practices, such as comprehensive training and capacity building, which can enhance operational efficiency at the CSCs. The theoretical framework employed includes Community-Oriented Policing (COP), alongside Critical Social Theory and Social Resource Theory. A qualitative research approach was used to gather insights and propose solutions to these challenges. This study is significant as it examines the Western Cape, where the SAPS is actively developing strategies to combat high crime rates in Kraaifontein. The barriers to effective service delivery at the Kraaifontein SAPS CSC have not been thoroughly researched or documented, making this study particularly valuable. The recommendations derived from the Kraaifontein CSC perspective could serve as a model for other regions within and beyond the Western Cape. In conclusion, the study emphasizes that continuous improvement in service quality can be achieved through COP, which facilitates resident involvement in crime prevention initiatives, empowering them to take an active role in creating safer neighborhoods.

Keywords: Community Policing, Effective Policing, Community Service Centres, South Africa, Service Delivery.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.66.7

Government R&D subsidies are a key policy instrument for promoting innovation among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), yet their effectiveness in revitalizing marginal or zombie firms remains conceptually contested and empirically insufficiently understood. This study addresses this gap by examining the differential effects of government R&D support on the financial and technological performance of 882 marginal firms in South Korea over the period 2012–2018. Using probit and Poisson regression models, we find that government R&D subsidies exert no statistically significant influence on financial performance indicators such as sales growth, but have a positive and statistically significant effect on technological performance, measured by the generation of domestic and foreign patents. This study makes four main contributions. First, by jointly analyzing financial and technological outcomes, we identify heterogeneous effects of R&D subsidies on marginal firms and show that technological capabilities may persist even under conditions of prolonged financial distress. Second, we challenge “all-or-nothing” policy narratives that depict marginal firms as uniformly unproductive, demonstrating instead that a subset of these firms possesses latent innovative capacity that responds positively to targeted public support. Third, we advance a refined theoretical framework that helps reconcile mixed findings in prior research, arguing that limited absorptive capacity and structural market barriers constrain the commercial translation of innovation while leaving technological innovation pathways relatively intact. Fourth, we derive concrete policy implications by advocating for the development of integrated inter-ministerial information systems to identify and monitor marginal firms with genuine R&D potential, thereby enhancing the efficiency of resource allocation and reducing the risk of indiscriminate subsidization of persistently unproductive enterprises. Overall, our findings support a shift from uniform to differentiated innovation policy, prioritizing firms with credible recovery prospects and demonstrable innovative capacity. In doing so, the study offers a more nuanced understanding of how public R&D investment can catalyze sustainable innovation among SMEs operating at the margins of economic viability, with broader implications for innovation policy design in both emerging and advanced economies.

Keywords: R&D subsidies; Government R&D support; Marginal firms; Zombie firms; Financial performance; Technological performance; Patent output; Innovation performance; Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs); Absorptive capacity; Innovation policy; Public support programs; Firm-level innovation; Distressed enterprises; South Korea.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.66.6

This study investigates the potential existence of the Pollution Haven Hypothesis (PHH) in Bangladesh, examining how lax environmental policies influence FDI inflows and subsequent pollution levels. Using a mixed-methods approach, it combines quantitative analyses—Johansen cointegration, Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), and Granger causality tests—with qualitative insights from 12 Key Informant Interviews (KII). The Johansen test indicates a long-run relationship between CO₂ emissions and FDI, though not statistically robust. VECM results show FDI is shaped by economic and environmental factors, with inflation as a key deterrent. Granger causality reveals FDI significantly impacts GDP per capita and electricity consumption but not CO₂ emissions. Qualitative findings highlight low labour costs, market size, and geopolitical factors as FDI drivers while noting environmental risks in polluting industries. The study’s novelty lies in integrating quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze FDI’s long-run economic and environmental effects in Bangladesh. Limited evidence supports PHH, suggesting weak environmental regulations are not the main FDI attractor. Policy recommendations include strengthening environmental enforcement and promoting cleaner technologies to achieve sustainable industrial growth.

Keywords: pollution haven hypothesis, foreign direct investment, environmental policy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.66.5