Title: Taming the wild beasts: Globalisation and economic policy in MalaysiaSubmitted by: Mark Beeson, School of Asian and International Studies, Griffith University, AustraliaNo country attracted more comment and attention in the wake of the recent East Asian economic crisis than Malaysia. Malaysian policy makers chose to reject the conventional economic wisdom articulated by influential organisations like the IMF, and endeavour to control a number of processes conveniently subsumed under the rubric of 'globalisation'. This paper examines this experiment and explores the factors that underpinned this course of action in the face of almost universal condemnation. The central argument I develop is that, even if Malaysia's desire to 'tame the wild beasts' of the international financial markets was driven by highly contingent considerations that were as much political as they were economic, nevertheless, the Malaysian experience stands as an important refutation of the argument that when it comes to globalisation, 'there is no alternative'. Return to Abstracts menuCarol Burnett Phone: 61 - 3 - 9349 1899 Email: c.burnett@asialink.unimelb.edu.au
|