The Political Economy of Brain Drain and Talent Capture by Adam Tyson

Author:Adam Tyson [Tyson, Adam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780367584801
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2020-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

5 Ethnicity-based policies as the main factor of Malaysian brain drain?

Re-examining the distribution of opportunities for education and employment

Riho Tanaka

There is a long-standing notion in Malaysia that ethnicity-based affirmative action policies are one of the major points of contention regarding talent development and retention. Indeed, it is easy to imagine that the evolution of the post-1969 preferential bumiputera policy designed to protect and promote ethnic Malays has impacted on the decisions of non-bumiputera citizens to leave the country, as the policy legitimized restrictions of opportunities for education and employment for non-bumiputera citizens. National policy has, however, gradually shifted to accommodate a more competitive, development-oriented trajectory for Malaysia, as reflected in the changes happening in Malaysian political economy, as well as the conditions facing youths in their educational aspirations and career planning. The institutional and structural transformation of higher education in Malaysia has arguably led to improvements in employment-related conditions. In this context, this chapter examines the changing patterns of youth career formation in Malaysia, with a focus on talent, and the factors that influence youth decisions to either stay or leave the country. Although a degree of ethnic segregation and hierarchy still exist in education and employment, the question is whether these factors substantially impact Malaysia’s ability to retain talent and manage the country’s brain drain.

This chapter considers the extent to which changes in policy and socio-economic conditions in Malaysia have reduced ethnic inequality, thus alleviating the adverse effects that preferential policies have on young talented individuals in Malaysia. In other words, this chapter focuses on the ‘push factors’ of the brain drain that pertain to ethnicity-related issues in Malaysia. For that purpose, this chapter investigates the non-bumiputera experience by considering how the social environment influences their decision to remain in the country or to emigrate, rather than focusing on the effects and aftermaths of ethnic-based preferential policy from the perspective of the bumiputera majority. This chapter first reviews the evolution of policies and regulations concerning education, especially higher education, as well as employment, by presenting a set of macro-level figures. These sections chart the relevant changes that have occurred in higher education and employment so that we can determine the extent to which the life-chances of non-bumiputera youths can be enhanced (or not). The author will then attempt to determine the comprehensive impact of the changes on education and employment through the analysis of micro-data, leading to conclusions about the prospects for talent retention in Malaysia.

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