Housing affordability remains a concern for Malaysia and there is a growing mismatch between supply and demand. Affordability needs to be examined not just through the lens of price and income, but also the connectivity and access to amenities of affordable developments. The future supply of affordable homes should match the requirements of buyers and strike a balance between the cost of supply and the value of demand.
This book provides an up-to-date account of housing policy systems in eight countries - Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore. With one chapter devoted to each country, there are, in addition, introductory and concluding chapters, in which the editors identify both the similarities in the problems faced, and in the approaches adopted, by the governments of the Asian countries - setting them apart from the West - as well as the differences that indicate the variety of Asian solutions.
In 1990, the Malaysian state of Johor—along with Singapore and the Indonesian island of Batam—launched the Growth Triangle to attract foreign direct investment. For Johor, this drive was very successful, transforming its economy and driving up income levels. Today, Johor is one of Malaysia’s “developed” states, housing large clusters of electrical and electronics, food processing, and furniture producing firms. While welcome, this structural transformation has also entailed important challenges and strategic choices. After three decades, Johor’s manufacture-for-export model is under question, as it faces increasing competition and flat-lining technological capabilities. In response, the state has sought to diversify its economy through strategic investments in new, mostly service-based activities. Yet, Johor retains pockets of excellence in traditional sectors that also require support and policy attention. The state’s economic transformation has also been accompanied by far-reaching political, social, and environmental change. Not least, Johor’s growing population has generated demand for affordable housing and put pressure on public services. The strain has been exacerbated by workers from other states and overseas. These demographic factors and large-scale projects have, in turn, put stress on the environment. These economic and social changes have also had political ramifications. While Johor is a bastion of two of the country’s oldest and most established political parties, the state’s large, urban and connected electorate has made it hospitable terrain for new political organisations. Beyond electoral politics, Johor is also the home of a powerful and influential royal family, with very specific ideas about its role in the state’s political life. Building on earlier work by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute on the Singapore-Johor-Riau Islands Cross-border Region, this book focuses on this important Malaysian state, as it deals with important domestic challenges on one hand and strives to engage with international markets on the other. “I have always felt that there are many more complementarities possible between Singapore and Johor. This would be to the benefit of both economies, but the political division between the two was just too great. The two economies lived adjacent but separate lives—Singapore looking out to the world and Johor looking north—until initiatives such as the Iskandar Malaysia development corridor began to change things significantly. The concern now is that the pendulum may have swung too much the other way, driven by the huge income and price differentials as well as Singapore’s global city status. Francis and Serina’s compilation is a welcomed attempt at understanding Johor in a much more comprehensive manner; not just its changing economy but how its politics and society have been impacted by these changes – which is a more endogenized view of economic integration.” — Dr Nungsari Ahmad Radhi, former MP Balik Palau and Executive Director, Khazanah Nasional “Drawing on the expertise of internationally known specialists, this insightful collection explores the multiple ways in which Johor’s economic development has influenced the contemporary political scene, and the effects on local society and the environment. Skillfully edited and meticulously researched, Johor: Abode of Development? is not merely required reading for anyone interested in contemporary Malaysia, but will be of immense value to historians of the future.”—Barbara Watson Andaya, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Hawai’i
This book consists of ten chapters, focusing on how to combine quantitative with qualitative methods in a research project. The approach of combining both methods is called ‘Triangulation’. In the social sciences, triangulation is often used in combining several research methods to study one subject. However, it is not in itself a method in the same way as a quantitative or qualitative approach with a specific paradigm. Triangulation is a plan, structure and investigation strategy deployed to obtain answers to problems identified at an earlier stage, and is widely used by researchers due to its capability in cross-checking the validity of findings and its minimal risk of bias. This book details the triangulation approach through its use in a real research project. Although, there are a number of books which discuss general research guidelines and methods, there is a notable lack of such books in social sciences which provide an example of integrating quantitative and qualitative methods in one research project. As such, the contents of this book will be useful to students, academicians and practitioners conducting research work.
This title was first published in 2000: An exploration of the ways in which social welfare in two countries, half a world apart, may have similarities. Through identification of the differences and similarities of social welfare in Britain and Malaysia, the editors hope that we may be able to learn from one another as well as to contribute to debates both in our countries about how to respond to globalization and about global social policy. Accordingly, the contributors arranged themselves into pairs - one Malaysian, one British - to write reviews of one of each of the six areas of social welfare. Along with an opening chapter in which the aim was to identify a number of frameworks and issues that would allow the rest to be put into a context, the 12 chapters, each restricted to around 5000 words, provide a service-by-service account.
This book presents interviews with 20 successful Malaysian housing developers, to provide real-world insights and practical know-how for future developers. It is designed in a way that reveals the secrets of successful developers, from their origins to their current status with the interviews conducted in a semi-structured manner so that the interviewees were able to freely share their experiences, thoughts, opinions and tips acquired throughout their business careers. Covering the developers’ success stories, from their background, educational history and personal traits to their business challenges and achievements, it appeals to academics and practitioners alike.
This book draws on elements of critical social theory, research on globalization, neo liberalism and education, and Malaysian Studies to understand the interplay of globalization, nationalism, cultural politics and ethnicized neoliberalism in shaping the educational reforms in Malaysia. Using the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 (MEB) as a case study, a catalyst and a context, this collection critically explores some of the complex historical and contemporary push-pull politics and factors shaping Malaysia’s education system, its reform and the experience of Malaysians – and others – within it. The authors in this volume focus on the interplay of neoliberalism, nationalism, ethnic and cultural politics in shaping the educational reforms in Malaysia. Their work captures and seeks to understand the enduring, though changing, hierarchy of access and differentiated rights to educational, social and economic resources and opportunities experienced by different individuals and collectives, including those involved in the neoliberal enterprise of international education. It looks at how inequities have been re-configured in different educational spaces in Malaysia, and at how these inequities have been addressed through reform policies and practices. The book will be a shaper and critical contributor to the assessment of the Malaysian Education Blueprint and related policies. It will also have wider relevance globally as a critical approach to policy discussion.
