Hwok-Aun Lee
Biographic Data
| ID | 150205 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hwok-Aun Lee |
| GIVEN NAMES | Hwok-Aun |
| FAMILY NAME | Lee |
| SIGNATURE | LEE H |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Malaya |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4513-5235 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 44 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Group‐Based Redistribution in Malaysia: Polarization, Incoherence, Stasis
Group‐based redistribution is extensive and embedded in Malaysia, and has comprehensively transformed the country since the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971. The NEP established a “two‐pronged” framework of poverty reduction irrespective of race and social restructuring to redress racial inequalities primarily through preferential programmes targeting the disadvantaged Bumiputera majority. The debate surrounding the NEP has u…
Social Justice and Affirmative Action in Malaysia: The New Economic Policy after 50 Years
Malaysia's New Economic Policy (NEP), promulgated in 1971, established a two‐pronged national social justice agenda of poverty reduction, and social restructuring or pro‐Bumiputera affirmative action. This distinction of these policy objectives must be appreciated, but various misconceptions, especially regarding affirmative action, have resulted in polarization and stalemate after 50 years of the NEP. Social justice and affirmative action must b…
Malaysia’s New Economic Policy: Fifty Years of Polarization and Impasse
The New Economic Policy has transformed Malaysia since 1971. Pro-Bumiputera affirmative action has been intensively pursued and continuously faced pushback. This paper revisits three key junctures in the NEP’s fifty-year history that heightened policy debates—and the ensuing persistent polarization and stalemate in policy discourses. First, at its inception in the early 1970s, despite substantial clarity in its two-pronged poverty alleviation and…
Is Inequality Really Declining in Malaysia
Official statistics report rapidly declining household income inequality in Malaysia during the 2000s. However, this phenomenon has passed unnoticed and unexplained, while public discourse widely asserts that inequality has either risen or remained high. In particular, salaries and wealth are perceived to be increasingly concentrated at the top. Difficulties in accessing national income survey data necessitate exploration of other data sources, w…
History of microfinance in Bangladesh: A life cycle theory approach
This study aims to conceptualise and document the historical evolution of microfinance in Bangladesh using the life cycle theory (LCT). Based on the LCT nomenclature, the microfinance sector in Bangladesh shows characteristics broadly consistent with the saturation phase (2006–2015) – which potentially has adverse impacts on both microfinance clients and institutions. The maturity phase (1996–2005) of microfinance has corresponded with competitio…
Southeast Asia on the Economic Front: Holding Steady, Bracing for Change
“Southeast Asian Affairs, first published in 1974, continues today to be required reading for not only scholars but the general public interested in in-depth analysis of critical cultural, economic and political issues in Southeast Asia. In this annual review of the region, renowned academics provide comprehensive and stimulating commentary that furthers understanding of not only the region’s dynamism but also of its tensions and conflicts. It is…
Affirmative Action Regime Formation in Malaysia and South Africa
This paper examines the formation of majority-favouring affirmative action (AA) regimes in Malaysia and South Africa. Malaysia's Constitution premises AA on a group's special position; South Africa's refers to unfair discrimination. Malaysia established AA amid continuation of a political order and consolidation of executive power, while South Africa democratized and transitioned from minority to majority rule. Minority groups held less economic …
Discrimination of high degrees: Race and graduate hiring in Malaysia
This paper investigates racial discrimination in hiring fresh degree graduates in Malaysia through a field experiment. We send fictitious Malay and Chinese résumés to job advertisements, then analyse differentials in callback for interview attributable to racial identity, while controlling for applicant characteristics, employer profile and job requirements. We find that race matters much more than résumé quality, with Malays – Malaysia's majorit…
Affirmative Action in Malaysia and South Africa: Contrasting Structures, Continuing Pursuits
This paper examines affirmative action in Malaysia and South Africa, two regimes that favor majorities. Malaysia's highly centralized and discretionary programme is in contrasts with South Africa's more democratized, decentralized and statutory structure. With regard to affirmative action outcomes, both countries have made quantitative gains in increasing representation of Bumiputeras in Malaysia and blacks in South Africa, in tertiary education …
Industrialization and labour in Malaysia
Although increasing globalizations spurred rapid industrialization in Malaysia, this article shows that the lack of significant technological upgrading and structural change has caused the premature plateauing of manufacturing, stemming from failures to coordinate policies, enforce standards, sustain high productivity growth and stimulate transition to higher value-added activities. Manufacturing as a whole has registered slow wage growth since t…
From Asian to Global Financial Crisis: Recovery Amidst Expanding Labour Precarity
This article outlines the labour impacts and social consequences of the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis and 2008–09 global financial crisis on Southeast Asia. Both had adverse consequences on output, employment, income and poverty in the region, although the impact of the global financial crisis was much less severe compared to the Asian financial crisis. Economies recovered quickly from both crises. However, labour markets continue to be characte…
Affirmative Action in Plural Societies: International Experiences
Affirmative Action in Malaysia: Education and Employment Outcomes since the 1990s
An important element of Malaysia's affirmative action regime has been to expand tertiary education access and upper-level occupational opportunities for the Bumiputera beneficiary group. However, the momentum of change has dwindled in recent years; Bumiputera representation in managerial and professional positions remained fairly static across 1995-2005. This paper provides a framework for conceptualising affirmative action and outlines Malaysia'…
Affirmative Action in Malaysia: Education and Employment Outcomes since the 1990s
An important element of Malaysia's affirmative action regime has been to expand tertiary education access and upper-level occupational opportunities for the Bumiputera beneficiary group. However, the momentum of change has dwindled in recent years; Bumiputera representation in managerial and professional positions remained fairly static across 1995-2005. This paper provides a framework for conceptualising affirmative action and outlines Malaysia'…
From Asian to Global Financial Crisis: Recovery Amidst Expanding Labour Precarity
This article outlines the labour impacts and social consequences of the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis and 2008–09 global financial crisis on Southeast Asia. Both had adverse consequences on output, employment, income and poverty in the region, although the impact of the global financial crisis was much less severe compared to the Asian financial crisis. Economies recovered quickly from both crises. However, labour markets continue to be characte…
Discrimination of high degrees: Race and graduate hiring in Malaysia
This paper investigates racial discrimination in hiring fresh degree graduates in Malaysia through a field experiment. We send fictitious Malay and Chinese résumés to job advertisements, then analyse differentials in callback for interview attributable to racial identity, while controlling for applicant characteristics, employer profile and job requirements. We find that race matters much more than résumé quality, with Malays – Malaysia's majorit…
History of microfinance in Bangladesh: A life cycle theory approach
This study aims to conceptualise and document the historical evolution of microfinance in Bangladesh using the life cycle theory (LCT). Based on the LCT nomenclature, the microfinance sector in Bangladesh shows characteristics broadly consistent with the saturation phase (2006–2015) – which potentially has adverse impacts on both microfinance clients and institutions. The maturity phase (1996–2005) of microfinance has corresponded with competitio…
Affirmative Action Regime Formation in Malaysia and South Africa
This paper examines the formation of majority-favouring affirmative action (AA) regimes in Malaysia and South Africa. Malaysia's Constitution premises AA on a group's special position; South Africa's refers to unfair discrimination. Malaysia established AA amid continuation of a political order and consolidation of executive power, while South Africa democratized and transitioned from minority to majority rule. Minority groups held less economic …
Industrialization and labour in Malaysia
Although increasing globalizations spurred rapid industrialization in Malaysia, this article shows that the lack of significant technological upgrading and structural change has caused the premature plateauing of manufacturing, stemming from failures to coordinate policies, enforce standards, sustain high productivity growth and stimulate transition to higher value-added activities. Manufacturing as a whole has registered slow wage growth since t…
Is Inequality Really Declining in Malaysia
Official statistics report rapidly declining household income inequality in Malaysia during the 2000s. However, this phenomenon has passed unnoticed and unexplained, while public discourse widely asserts that inequality has either risen or remained high. In particular, salaries and wealth are perceived to be increasingly concentrated at the top. Difficulties in accessing national income survey data necessitate exploration of other data sources, w…
Affirmative Action in Malaysia and South Africa: Contrasting Structures, Continuing Pursuits
This paper examines affirmative action in Malaysia and South Africa, two regimes that favor majorities. Malaysia's highly centralized and discretionary programme is in contrasts with South Africa's more democratized, decentralized and statutory structure. With regard to affirmative action outcomes, both countries have made quantitative gains in increasing representation of Bumiputeras in Malaysia and blacks in South Africa, in tertiary education …
Group‐Based Redistribution in Malaysia: Polarization, Incoherence, Stasis
Group‐based redistribution is extensive and embedded in Malaysia, and has comprehensively transformed the country since the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971. The NEP established a “two‐pronged” framework of poverty reduction irrespective of race and social restructuring to redress racial inequalities primarily through preferential programmes targeting the disadvantaged Bumiputera majority. The debate surrounding the NEP has u…
Affirmative Action in Plural Societies: International Experiences
Affirmative Action in Malaysia: Education and Employment Outcomes since the 1990s
An important element of Malaysia's affirmative action regime has been to expand tertiary education access and upper-level occupational opportunities for the Bumiputera beneficiary group. However, the momentum of change has dwindled in recent years; Bumiputera representation in managerial and professional positions remained fairly static across 1995-2005. This paper provides a framework for conceptualising affirmative action and outlines Malaysia'…
Affirmative Action in Plural Societies: International Experiences
Industrialization and labour in Malaysia
Although increasing globalizations spurred rapid industrialization in Malaysia, this article shows that the lack of significant technological upgrading and structural change has caused the premature plateauing of manufacturing, stemming from failures to coordinate policies, enforce standards, sustain high productivity growth and stimulate transition to higher value-added activities. Manufacturing as a whole has registered slow wage growth since t…
From Asian to Global Financial Crisis: Recovery Amidst Expanding Labour Precarity
This article outlines the labour impacts and social consequences of the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis and 2008–09 global financial crisis on Southeast Asia. Both had adverse consequences on output, employment, income and poverty in the region, although the impact of the global financial crisis was much less severe compared to the Asian financial crisis. Economies recovered quickly from both crises. However, labour markets continue to be characte…
Discrimination of high degrees: Race and graduate hiring in Malaysia
This paper investigates racial discrimination in hiring fresh degree graduates in Malaysia through a field experiment. We send fictitious Malay and Chinese résumés to job advertisements, then analyse differentials in callback for interview attributable to racial identity, while controlling for applicant characteristics, employer profile and job requirements. We find that race matters much more than résumé quality, with Malays – Malaysia's majorit…
Affirmative Action in Malaysia and South Africa: Contrasting Structures, Continuing Pursuits
This paper examines affirmative action in Malaysia and South Africa, two regimes that favor majorities. Malaysia's highly centralized and discretionary programme is in contrasts with South Africa's more democratized, decentralized and statutory structure. With regard to affirmative action outcomes, both countries have made quantitative gains in increasing representation of Bumiputeras in Malaysia and blacks in South Africa, in tertiary education …
Affirmative Action Regime Formation in Malaysia and South Africa
This paper examines the formation of majority-favouring affirmative action (AA) regimes in Malaysia and South Africa. Malaysia's Constitution premises AA on a group's special position; South Africa's refers to unfair discrimination. Malaysia established AA amid continuation of a political order and consolidation of executive power, while South Africa democratized and transitioned from minority to majority rule. Minority groups held less economic …
Southeast Asia on the Economic Front: Holding Steady, Bracing for Change
“Southeast Asian Affairs, first published in 1974, continues today to be required reading for not only scholars but the general public interested in in-depth analysis of critical cultural, economic and political issues in Southeast Asia. In this annual review of the region, renowned academics provide comprehensive and stimulating commentary that furthers understanding of not only the region’s dynamism but also of its tensions and conflicts. It is…
History of microfinance in Bangladesh: A life cycle theory approach
This study aims to conceptualise and document the historical evolution of microfinance in Bangladesh using the life cycle theory (LCT). Based on the LCT nomenclature, the microfinance sector in Bangladesh shows characteristics broadly consistent with the saturation phase (2006–2015) – which potentially has adverse impacts on both microfinance clients and institutions. The maturity phase (1996–2005) of microfinance has corresponded with competitio…
Is Inequality Really Declining in Malaysia
Official statistics report rapidly declining household income inequality in Malaysia during the 2000s. However, this phenomenon has passed unnoticed and unexplained, while public discourse widely asserts that inequality has either risen or remained high. In particular, salaries and wealth are perceived to be increasingly concentrated at the top. Difficulties in accessing national income survey data necessitate exploration of other data sources, w…
Malaysia’s New Economic Policy: Fifty Years of Polarization and Impasse
The New Economic Policy has transformed Malaysia since 1971. Pro-Bumiputera affirmative action has been intensively pursued and continuously faced pushback. This paper revisits three key junctures in the NEP’s fifty-year history that heightened policy debates—and the ensuing persistent polarization and stalemate in policy discourses. First, at its inception in the early 1970s, despite substantial clarity in its two-pronged poverty alleviation and…
Social Justice and Affirmative Action in Malaysia: The New Economic Policy after 50 Years
Malaysia's New Economic Policy (NEP), promulgated in 1971, established a two‐pronged national social justice agenda of poverty reduction, and social restructuring or pro‐Bumiputera affirmative action. This distinction of these policy objectives must be appreciated, but various misconceptions, especially regarding affirmative action, have resulted in polarization and stalemate after 50 years of the NEP. Social justice and affirmative action must b…
Group‐Based Redistribution in Malaysia: Polarization, Incoherence, Stasis
Group‐based redistribution is extensive and embedded in Malaysia, and has comprehensively transformed the country since the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971. The NEP established a “two‐pronged” framework of poverty reduction irrespective of race and social restructuring to redress racial inequalities primarily through preferential programmes targeting the disadvantaged Bumiputera majority. The debate surrounding the NEP has u…
Economics (10 works) · Political science (9 works) · Economic growth (6 works) · Law (6 works) · Law (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Affirmative action (5 works) · Business (4 works) · Development economics (4 works) · Public Administration (4 works)