The Features of Malaysia’s Process of Economic Development (1980-2010)

Susceptibility to development requires domestic policy-making which would be consistent with the integrated global economy. By drawing on the Leftwich’s Developmental State theory as a theoretical approach, this study aims to assess the role of international environment as well as the foreign policy of Malaysia in the process of Malaysia’s economic development. This paper will respond to a question: What are the features of Malaysia’s international environment and, its foreign policy as well in its process of economic development. This research presumes that some contributing features and factors to economic development such as favorable international environment and also peaceful foreign policy activism (developmental foreign policy) were instrumental in Malaysia’s prosperity in its way to economic development. The research method used in this paper is the comparative (multivariate time series) method. Data gathering method is based on library sources. The main findings of this study indicate that susceptibility to development is possible through peaceful foreign policy as well as cooperative utilization of the international system in the era of globalization.