How old are Malaysians?
5 min read
While many of us are concerned about death and old age, survivability in old age might be a more pressing matter, economically. Here are the numbers on Malaysia...
Capitalising on innovation
5 min read
Economic growth today is driven not merely by capital accumulation but by creative capability. Hence, unlike the approach of neo-classical and Keynesian economi...
The financial state of Malaysian states
9 min read
Where is the money coming from for each state in Malaysia? An obvious answer, for richer states like Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu, is oil and gas and other nat...
Is Malaysia becoming a welfare state?
7 min read
With cash payments to the poorer classes becoming standard policy in Malaysia, questions have been raised as to the efficacy of such measures. How do they help...
Local elections as the foundation of democracy Part I: The Athi Nahappan Report revisited
8 min read
Penang in the 1960s. The newly formed Alliance central government had found it increasingly difficult to govern and achieve its version of national unity beca...
Malaysian artists join one of Singapore’s many shows
7 min read
Malaysia’s strong presence at Art Stage Singapore 2015 would have passed relatively unnoticed if not for Vincent Leong’s Kenapamu Malaysia (II), a...
Malaysian skinheads against racism
6 min read
On May 18, 2013, a picture of 14 Malay teenagers in skinhead clothes with their right arms raised in the Nazi salute appeared in American magazine Vice. Now, wh...
Managing longevity risk: Do not go gentle into that good night
5 min read
Individuals and governments should look harder into managing longevity risk; it is a related but different problem to ageing as it pertains to the risk that act...
Resisting the closing of the Malaysian mind
6 min read
It’s hard not to be impressed by Prof Latif Kamaluddin, author of poetry collections such as Lazy Lamas and Voodoo Genitalia, upon meeting him for the fir...
Sustaining the dignity of the dying
6 min read
“I’m a stage four lung cancer patient. I know where I stand.” Those words were harrowing, but at the same time, Kelly’s* courage amazed...
The crude dynamics of the price of petrol
7 min read
We know that Malaysia depends a lot on income from its oil and gas. But exactly how much? Well, a whopping RM73.4bil alone in 2013 was contributed by Petronas,...
The costs of inequality: Not just a case of “poor envy”
6 min read
In 2014, “inequality” was undeniably the buzzword in the public policy domain, partly thanks to Thomas Picketty’s unlikely bestseller, Capital...