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Has Malaysia really escaped the resource curse? A closer look at the political economy of oil revenue management and expenditures

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  • Doraisami, Anita

Abstract

Malaysia has been widely cited as belonging to a group of developing countries which has escaped the resource curse. No doubt its inclusion in this group has been based on its impressive growth record prior to the Asian financial crisis, and its achievements on poverty alleviation and economic diversification. Since the Asian financial crisis however, growth rates have slowed, the economy has experienced premature deindustrialisation and oil and gas revenues have become the major source of financing the budget, casting doubts on whether Malaysia has in fact been untouched by the resource curse. The paper concludes by examining the policy implications of the findings.

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  • Doraisami, Anita, 2015. "Has Malaysia really escaped the resource curse? A closer look at the political economy of oil revenue management and expenditures," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 98-108.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:45:y:2015:i:c:p:98-108
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2015.03.008
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    2. Sen, Kunal & Tyce, Matthew, 2019. "The elusive quest for high income status—Malaysia and Thailand in the post-crisis years," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 117-135.
    3. M Niaz Asadullah & Norma Mansor & Antonio Savoia, 2019. "Explaining a ‘development miracle’: poverty reduction and human development in Malaysia since the 1970s," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 382019, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    4. Cheng Peng & Dianzhuang Feng & Hai Long, 2022. "Assessing the Contribution of Natural Gas Exploitation to the Local Economic Growth in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-17, August.
    5. Russell Tatenda Munodawafa & Satirenjit Kaur Johl, 2019. "Big Data Analytics Capabilities and Eco-Innovation: A Study of Energy Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-21, August.
    6. Badeeb, Ramez Abubakr & Szulczyk, Kenneth R. & Lean, Hooi Hooi, 2021. "Asymmetries in the effect of oil rent shocks on economic growth: A sectoral analysis from the perspective of the oil curse," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    7. Ramez Abubakr Badeeb & Jeremy Clark & Abey P. Philip, 2021. "The Nonlinear Effects of Oil Rent Dependence on Malaysian Manufacturing: Implications from Structural Change using a Markov-Regime Switching Model," Working Papers in Economics 21/11, University of Canterbury, Department of Economics and Finance.
    8. Badeeb, Ramez Abubakr & Lean, Hooi Hooi & Smyth, Russell, 2016. "Oil curse and finance–growth nexus in Malaysia: The role of investment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 154-165.
    9. Wan Ahmad, Wan Nurul K. & Rezaei, Jafar & de Brito, Marisa P. & Tavasszy, Lóránt A., 2016. "The influence of external factors on supply chain sustainability goals of the oil and gas industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 302-314.
    10. Bernard Owusu, 2018. "‘Doomed by the ‘Resource Curse?’ Fish and Oil Conflicts in the Western Gulf of Guinea, Ghana," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 61(1), pages 149-159, December.
    11. Ali, Adnan & Ramakrishnan, Suresh & Faisal,, 2022. "Financial development and natural resources. Is there a stock market resource curse?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    12. Hui Hu & Weijun Ran & Yuchen Wei & Xiang Li, 2020. "Do Energy Resource Curse and Heterogeneous Curse Exist in Provinces? Evidence from China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-26, August.
    13. Zarach, Zuzanna Helena & Parteka, Aleksandra, 2023. "Export diversification and dependence on natural resources," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    14. Badeeb, Ramez Abubakr & Lean, Hooi Hooi & Shahbaz, Muhammad, 2020. "Are too many natural resources to blame for the shape of the Environmental Kuznets Curve in resource-based economies?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
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