As Malaysia's economy grows and flourishes, strong new links are being forged with other developing countries in the region and beyond. This book examines these new links. It argues that as many countries with which Malaysia has new links are Indian Ocean countries, many of them Muslim countries, a new style trading network is being formed, a network with Islamic characteristics, which echoes Indian Ocean Islamic trading networks of earlier times.

This book presents development strategies and lessons based on a large range of 'success' countries across the developing world. In addition to the country cases, it presents regional and overall syntheses that cover orthodox vs. heterodox policies; the importance of capability, primary exports, diversification and financing; managing diversity; the role of institutions and governance; and human development. The book reveals much diversity in successful development strategies offered by the various select countries: for example, the 'disinterested-government' political economy of China; the democratically supported, high-service-sector development approach of India; the 'Washington-Consensus-based' reforms of Ghana and China; the diversification strategies of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Oman; the dynamic orthodox-heterodox strategy of Malaysia and Vietnam; the effective natural-resource management of Botswana, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE; the social-sector underpinnings of development in Costa Rica and Tunisia; and the democratic political system of managing diversity in India. This refreshing approach to studying development will interest researchers, teachers, students, development practitioners and policymakers alike.

"Malaysia has long had an ambivalent relationship to globalization. A shining example of export-led growth and the positive role for foreign investment, the country's political leadership has also expressed skepticism about the prevailing international political and economic order. In this compelling collection, Nelson, Meerman and Rahman Embong bring together a group of Malaysian and foreign scholars to dissect the effects of globalization on Malaysian development over the long-run. They consider the full spectrum of issues from economic and social policy to new challenges from transnational Islam, and are unafraid of voicing skepticism where the effects of globalization are overblown. Malaysia is surprisingly understudied in comparative context; this volume remedies that, and provides an overview of a country undergoing important political change." – Stephan Haggard, Krause Professor, Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego

This book examines the various economic, political and developmental policy challenges that Malaysia faces in its shift from a middle income to high-income economy. It covers subjects such as technology, education and skills, the promotion of entrpreneurship, social, monetary policy and governance issues.

A sophisticated account of income equalities and poverty in Malaysia which will be of particular interest to policy makers. A range of issues is covered -- from data problems to conceptural questions arising with respect to measurement.

China has always viewed itself as a vulnerable underdeveloped country. In the 1990s, it began negotiating economic agreements and creating China-centric institutions, culminating in the 2000s in numerous institutions and ultimately the Belt and Road Initiative. The authors analyze China’s political and diplomatic, economic, and military engagement with the Developing World and discuss specific countries that are most important to China.

In recent years, growth rates in the so-called 'Tiger economies' of Southeast Asia have been above the average not only for developing countries but for the world as a whole. Yet they fall short of the economic growth experienced during 1975 95. The underlying worry for policy makers is that the decrease presages the beginning of a downward trend, a worry that has been sharpened by the global recession. But are the Tiger economies under threat? And if so, what are the causes and how can they be addressed? This book employs a comparative analysis of the Southeast Asian Tiger economies, centered on Malaysia, to tackle these questions. The findings presented will be of particular interest to policy makers, academics, business people, and researchers.

Does the industrial development of a country entail the democratization of its political system? Malaysia in the World Economy examines this theme with regards to Malaysia in the period between 1824 and 2011. Capitalism was first introduced into Malaysia through colonialism specifically to supply Britain with much-needed raw materials for its industrial development. Aside from economic exploitation, colonial rule had also produced a highly unequal and socially distant multicultural society, whose multifaceted divisions kept the colonial rulers in supreme authority. After independence, Britain ensured that Malaysia became a staunch western ally by structuring in a capitalist system specifically helmed by western-educated elites through what appeared to be "formal" democratic institutions. In such a system, the Malaysian ruling elites have been able to "manage" the country's democratic processes to its advantage as well as preempt or suppress serious internal challenges to its power, often in the name of national stability. As a result, an increasingly unpopular National Front political coalition has remained in power in the country since 1957. Meanwhile, Malaysia's marginal position in the world economy, which has maintained its economic subordination to the developed countries of the west and Japan, has reproduced the internal social inequities inherited from colonial rule and channeled the largest returns of economic growths into the hands of the country's foreign investors as well as local elites associated with the ruling machinery. Over the years however, the state has lost some of its political legitimacy in the face of widening social disparities, increased ethnic polarization, and prevalent corruption. This has been made possible by extensive exposures of these issues via new social media and communications technology. Hence, informational globalization may have begun to empower Malaysians in a new struggle for political reform, thereby reconfiguring the balance of power between the state and civil society. Unlike other past research, Malaysia in the World Economy combines both macro- and micro-theoretical approaches in critically analyzing the relationship between capitalist development and democratization in Malaysia within a comparative-historical and world-systemic context.

The tourism industry can help promote peace and stability in developing countries by providing jobs, generating income, diversifying the economy, protecting the environment, and promoting cross-cultural awareness. Tourism is the fourth largest industry in the global economy. However, key challenges must be addressed if peace-enhancing benefits from this industry are to be realized. These include investments in infrastructure and human capacity, the development of comprehensive national strategies, the adoption of robust regulatory frameworks, mechanisms to maximize in-country foreign currency earnings, and efforts to reduce crime and corruption. The case studies of India, Kenya, and Nigeria reveal several important points. First, relative peace and a degree of economic development are preconditions for a successful tourist industry. Second, although it has the capacity to help promote peace and prosperity, tourism can also cause a great deal of harm unless it is carefully developed. Third, to deliver optimal benefits, tourism must be respectful of the environment and mindful of cultural and social traditions. Fourth, tourism must be supported by a coherent national strategy and robust laws. For tourism to help deliver prosperity and stabilize communities effectively, specific action must be taken by three main constituencies: host communities, host governments, and foreign stakeholders.

There is an explosion of creativity happening in the developing world right now. Best selling creativity author and keynote speaker Fredrik Härén wanted to understand what this creativity explosion means, what it will lead to and how it will change the world. So he set out to find out. For five years Fredrik Härén went to 18 developing countries (and 8 developed countries) and done more than 200 interviews with people who in some way are involved with business and creativity. He has met with cosmetics executives in Russia, professors in South Africa, creativity consultants in Egypt, IT-journalists in Iran, hotel managers in Dubai, designers in Indonesia, government officials in Thailand and mobile phone designers in South Korea and many, many more. The result of his research is this book. A book about "The Developing World." In this book you will learn about the advantages of being a creative person in a developing country, about what the developed world can learn from the developing world, and most importantly, you will read about the dangers of defining yourself as "developed" in a world that has never been developing faster than now. It is a book that may turn your view of the world up-side-down, and that hopefully will inspire you to become more curious about the great changes happening in the world right now.