If secularism is understood as the strict separation of religion from governance, then Malaysia would appear to be the antithesis of a a secular state. Only Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Maldives have higher levels of state regulation. In Malaysia, the law requires Muslims to attend Friday prayer, to fast during Ramadan, and to abide by the halal dietary restrictions all year long.
Economics
Migration and Employment in Peninsular Malaysia 1970
This article examines the migration and employment policies in Malaysia in 1970. Relationship between migrant status and employment status in a developing country; Two migration categories in Malaysia; Differences in the unemployment rates between migrants and non-migrants; Factors contributing to the low employment rates of migrants. Download
Malaysia’s record of engagement with the World Bank
Introduction by CPI Members of the public may be interested to know the details of engagement between the World Bank and Malaysia, especially given what many view as Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent attempt to rewrite the history of this engagement during his tenure as prime minister from 1981 to 2003. The Malaysian policy on public … Read more
The IMF report card on Malaysia
Background The IMF, under Article IV of its Articles of Agreement, holds bilateral discussions annually with its Member countries. These discussions are in the nature of a review of member country economic policies, recent economic developments, IMF staff assessments of prospects and the presentation of policy recommendations. A report is then prepared for presentation … Read more
NEM: The World Bank’s warning
CPI note On April 18, the World Bank issued the second in the series – Malaysia Economic Monitor – commenting on the Malaysian economy and the challenges being faced. It warns that Malaysia cannot afford to go slow on the implementation of structural reforms. We are redirecting readers to a blog by the principal … Read more
The State and Industrial Relations in Developing countries: The Malaysian Situation
A synthetic model of the variety of industrial relations experiences is used to evaluate the types of role the state can play in the industrial relations of a group of Third World countries such as ASEAN. Such an approach avoids the unilinear and reductionist approaches of the right and the left, which by assimilating the … Read more
Changing mechanisms of persistence. Reconfigurations of petty production in a Malaysian rice region
The paper examines the position of rice producers in the Muda region of Malaysia. Changes in the organization of agricultural production; Analysis of the institutional arrangements which govern labor deployment. [Download]
Coastal Resources Management: Tourism in Peninsular Malaysia
In this article, the coastal resources of Peninsular Malaysia: and the problems and issues relating to coastal management are discussed briefly first. The existing pattern and the type of coastal tourism development are then outlined. Some of the positive and negative effects of coastal tourism, and in particular, the environmental problems, are discussed with reference … Read more
A Comparative Analysis of Managerial Practices among SMEs from Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand
Author 1 Dart, Jack Author 2 Ng, Ignace Author 3 Sarkar, Asit The primary purpose of this article is to compare and contrast the managerial practices and problems faced by the SMEs operating in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. While such a comparative analysis has been done in the past, this study differs from previous … Read more
Human Resource, Factor Intensity, and Export Structure of Singapore and Malaysia
Author 1 Chowdhury, A. Author 2 Kirkpatrick, C.H. The paper examines the impact of rising human resource ( HR ) endowments on the relative factor intensity and composition of manufactured exports of Singapore and Malaysia. Following the traditional approach, relative factor intensities are approximated by wage and non-wage value added per employee. The findings show … Read more