Inclusive regional development and the pathways for addressing socio-spatial inequality

Abstract

This paper briefly review on the idea of inclusive development and regional policy approaches that could be considered more inclusive. It then focus on issues of uneven development in Malaysia and how inclusive development had been incorporated as the main goals of development and translated into strategies and measures. The discussion on regional development in Malaysia includes the resource based regional development policy in 1970s and the recent economic growth corridors incorporated under the Tenth and Eleventh Malaysia Plans. The paper provides some insights into global economic uncertainty and suggestions on the path ways to address spatial inequality within the uncertainty of the global economy by incorporating a more bottom up approach and endogenous oriented measures.