Hong Kong baby bonus scheme needs rethink to focus on systemic issues

Officials have begun a detailed review of the government’s HK$20,000 (US$2,600) baby bonus scheme six months before the end of its three-year term, and for good reason.

With its low take-up rate, the scheme has failed to make the hoped-for impact on a falling birth rate.

At the end of February, more than 40 per cent of the HK$2.8 billion set aside to encourage couples to have babies remained unspent, according to the Labour and Welfare Bureau.
This suggests financial incentives alone cannot...