[Once Upon a Time] The Prosperity of Hong Kong, the Night-Watchman State

A country that only in 1997 escaped British colonial rule. A country so cramped that its population density is 12 times that of Korea, and one with no natural resources of any kind. A country that, even into the 1960s, was overflowing with Chinese refugees fleeing the Cultural Revolution. As of 2004, Hong Kong’s per capita income was $26,660.

Our textbooks cite the night-watchman state as an example of a very undesirable country. A country whose main task is to protect the lives and property of its people from foreign invasion and, domestically as well, to protect their lives and property by maintaining public order. It collects taxes for the military, police, roads, street cleaning, and poor relief, but only to a minimum extent. Such a state is called a night-watchman state in contrast to the large welfare states that emerged after the 1930s. The term carries the connotation of a pathetic state that merely patrols at night.

Historically, most political power exploited the people. The first state to protect its people while collecting only minimal taxes was the night-watchman state. And just as Britain enjoyed its greatest heyday during the reign of Queen Victoria, when it was a night-watchman state, Hong Kong likewise, because it was a night-watchman state, rose from poverty crowded with refugees to become one of the richest places in the world.

The man who made the निर्ण?? wait.

Original title: [옛날옛적에 ] 야경국가 홍콩의 번영

Author: Center for Free Enterprise (CFE)

Date: 2006-06-22

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=column&pn=21&idx=10675