State-led Modernization and the New Middle Class in Malaysia (International Political Economy Series)

Rich in detail and lucidly written, this is the first comprehensive study of the new middle class in Malaysia. Abdul Rhaman Embong examines the emergence and role of the new Malay middle class, particularly with regard to democratization and evolution of civil society in Malaysia. The author explores variations within the class across the country,andralso draws comparisons with the Malay working class, and the middle classes of China, India, and elsewhere in Asia. "Global issues have become an increasingly vital part of environmental debates. They are closely interrelated with problems at local levels. In this wide-ranging study, Robert Boardman argues that investigation of environmental issues raises complex theoretical questions, and requires more sustained links between the natural and social sciences.". "In a closely integrated account of problems in critical ecological theory, Boardman draws extensively on current research in sociology, ecology, economics, the earth sciences and other disciplines. He suggests that ideas from these can be used to expand attention to and the understanding of environmental issues in international relations and international political economy, as well as in social theory more generally.". "The discussion identifies five main theoretical bases for these tasks. These are ecology and earth-system science; constructionist approaches; environmental ethics; micro-level research, particularly perspectives based on rational expectations and on agency; and governance. Connections among these are examined in the context of debates on economics globlization and ecological transformation."--BOOK JACKET. Front Matter....Pages i-xxii Introduction....Pages 1-17 A Critical Review of Malaysian Middle-Class Studies....Pages 18-31 Industrialization and Middle-Class Formation in Malaysia....Pages 32-58 The Making of the New Malay Middle Class....Pages 59-77 The New Malay Middle-Class Family....Pages 78-99 New Malay Middle-Class Lifestyles and Culture....Pages 100-126 The New Malay Middle Class and Community....Pages 127-148 Malay Middle-Class Politics, Democracy and Civil Society....Pages 149-167 The New Malay Middle Class and Melayu Baru....Pages 168-190 Concluding Remarks: The New Malay Middle Class and Social Transformation....Pages 191-201 Afterword: After the Crisis: the Southeast Asian Middle Classes Today....Pages 202-209 Back Matter....Pages 210-247 Internationally the trade union movement is finding itself peripheralized by a series of mutually reinforcing processes - the ongoing world economic crisis; the uneven transition from an industrial to an information and service capitalism; the aggressive policies of neoliberalism; the collapse of communism and radical nationalism; the decline of the social-democratic or labour tradition - and by a globalization that undermines the nation-state to which union hopes have long been pinned. The editors argue that this crisis provides an opportunity for labour to recover or reinvent itself. They see this in terms of a labour response to the waves of energy coming from the new global social movements (women, ecology, human rights/democracy, and so on). The authors examine various aspects of Japanese financial markets. This analysis is interspersed with the relevant institutional/historical background on Japanese financial markets necessary for the non-specialist. Principal chapters include: an institutional overview; a chapter on the comparative costs of capital (both internationally and among Japanese firms); causes and implications of the high degree of financial intermediation in Japan; and an invaluable analysis of the most recent trends in the Japanese/Asian financial markets "This is the first definitive study of the new middle class in Malaysia. Abdul Rahman Embong examines the emergence and role of the new Malay middle class, particularly with regard to democratization and the evolution of civil society in Malaysia. As well as exploring variations within the class across the country, the author also draws comparisons with the Malay working class, the ethnic Chinese and Indian classes in Malaysia and the middle classes of some East Asian countries."--BOOK JACKET. Rich in detail and lucidly written, this is the first definitive study of the new middle class in Malaysia. Abdul Rahman Embong examines the emergence and role of the new Malay middle class, particularly with regard to democratization and evolution of civil society in Malaysia. As well as exploring variations within the class across the country, the author also draws comparisons with the Malay working class, and the middle classes of China, India and elsewhere in East Asia. "Many in South Africa have begun to cope with globalization, regionalization, a depleting ozone layer, new disease, rampant militarization, and structures of influence like race, class, and gender. In this book scholars present a wide variety of thoughts on the future of the region and the place of theory in helping us to understand the array of events characterizing the early 21st-century world."--Jacket In a paper published almost three decades ago, Hans-Dieter Evers (1973:108-31) argued that the framework of a theory of class formation and class conflict could be used to analyse a major trend in the modernization of Southeast Asia - that is, the emergence of new social positions and class formations. Written in the context of contemporary theoretical debate in international political economy, this book overturns a number of myths about the political economy of trade in one of the oldest areas of industry. Yvon Grenier ; Foreword By Mitchell A. Seligson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 215-218) And Index.