Publications

The World Bank’s 1981 Berg Report provided the blueprint for structural adjustment, including economic liberalisation in Africa. Urging trade liberalisation, it promised growth from agriculture.

Buying a new fridge for your new home is far less stressful than buying the home itself. While both may represent significant purchases in a person's life, the psychological and systemic differences between the two are stark. In Malaysia, this comparison goes beyond simple economics—it reveals something deeper about how our housing and consumer systems function.

The 1982 movie with the above title took place in Jakarta during the political turmoil in Indonesia in 1965; a period that saw President Sukarno eventually ousted and the emergence of the Orde Baru in Indonesia. The phrase itself was taken from Sukarno’s 1964 National Day speech where he used the Italian phrase ‘vivere pericoloso’ (living dangerously) to describe the coming year. The alleged coup attempt by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the anti-communist purge by the Indonesian military that followed was a bloody episode with estimates of deaths ranging from a hundred thousand to many more.

This report aims to generate a grounded understanding of the structural and institutional factors shaping the development of technology and technical (T&T) talent in Malaysia.

President Trump’s snide barbs against his appointee, Fed Chair Jerome Powell, have revived support for central bank independence – long used by powerful financial interests against growth and equity.