The state and economic development: a study of Alliance development strategy in West Malaysia

Abstract

Since the late 1960s there has been much rethinking about some of the most basic questions concerning historical development and social change in the continents of Asia, Africa and Latin America. There has consequently been an increasing interest in studies of the state and policy formation in these countries. As part of that interest, this thesis attempts to study some of the determinants of policy in West Malaysia during the Alliance period (1957-69). The thesis is broadly divided into two parts. Part I, consisting of Chapters 2, 3 and 4, sets the historical context out of which emerged the political economy of independent Malaya. Chapters 2 and 3 trace the processes of economic growth and class formation associated with colonial Malaya's integration into the world economy. Chapter 4 concerns the decolonization process that led to the emergence of the Alliance coalition as independent Malaya's first government. We proceed to examine the Alliance government's development strategy in Part II, consisting of Chapters 5, 6, 7 and 8. In Chapter 5 we attempt to provide an overview of the Alliance development model while the government's industrial and agrarian policies are covered in greater detail in Chapters 6 and 7 respectively. Chapter 8 gives a brief discussion of the circumstances leading to the end of the Alliance government. In Chapter 9 we conclude in an attempt to assess the implications of the study as a whole, including some inference as to the role of the state in economic development generally.