Research Profile

Professor Albert Chen Hung-yee 陳弘毅

Professor Chen is currently teaching the subjects of law and society, jurisprudence and guided research. In addition to over 100 English and Chinese journal articles, he has written the following books: Hong Kong's Legal System and the Basic Law (香港法制與基本法) (1986), Human Rights and the Rule of Law (人權與法治) (1987) (with Professor Johannes Chan as co-author), The Worker’s Compensation System in Hong Kong: Retrospect and Prospect (1987) (with Professor Ng Sek-hong as co-author), Law and Politics in Hong Kong (1990) (香港法律與香港政治), The Rule of Law, Enlightenment and the Spirit of Modern Law (法治、啟蒙與現代法的精神) (1998), The World of Jurisprudence (法理學的世界) (2003), and An Introduction to the Legal System of the People's Republic of China (3rd ed 2004). He is also the co-editor of The Basic Law and Hong Kong's Future (1988), General Principles of Hong Kong Law (香港法概論) (1999), Human Rights in Asia (London: Routledge, 2006) and Administrative Law and Governance in Asia: Comparative Perspectives (London: Routledge, 2009).

Professor Chen’s research interests include constitutional law, comparative law, and legal and political philosophy. His works in recent years cover six specific areas: (1) the constitutional and legal issues arising from “one country, two systems”, the implementation of the Hong Kong Basic Law and the interface between the mainland and Hong Kong legal systems; (2) current constitutional and legal developments in China and legal thought in China; (3) current constitutional developments in Taiwan; (4) philosophy and theories of legal modernization and the relationship between the Chinese cultural tradition, liberalism and legal modernity; (5) Confucian political philosophy and its relationship with democracy and human rights; (6) comparative study of public law in East and Southeast Asia. Since 2006, he has co-edited and contributed chapters to two books, one on Human Rights in Asia, and the other on Administrative Law and Governance in Asia. Since then he has also completed several research projects, including those on (1) constitutional adjudication in post-1997 Hong Kong, (2) the Basic Law and political developments in Hong Kong, (3) a comparative study of the origins and development of constitutionalism in Hong Kong and Taiwan, (4) a comparative study of emergency powers and constitutionalism in Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong and South Korea, and (5) the relationship between Confucianism and liberal constitutional democracy.