BORNEO REVIEW - VOLUME XI NO. 1 (JUNE 2000) |
FOREIGN HOUSEMAIDS IN NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM: AN ANALYSIS OF A SECONDARY LABOUR MARKET
POVERTY-FOCUSED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS: REAPING THE BENEFIT OF GLOBALIZATION?*
COMMERCIAL BANKS LENDING AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN MALAYSIA: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
AN ECONOMIC VALUATION OF THE DIRECT-USE VALUES OF THE SARAWAK MANGROVE FOREST RESERVE*
FOREIGN HOUSEMAIDS IN NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM: AN ANALYSIS OF A SECONDARY LABOUR MARKET
Zirwatul Asilati bte Hj. Misli, Tan Siew Ee and Tan Phek Suan
Despite its small economic size, Brunei is a significant market for foreigners seeking employment as housemaids in its domestic services sector. Like the characteristics of secondary job markets elsewhere, the housemaid market in Brunei is dominated by females, with associated low pay and poor working conditions as well as limited opportunities for career advancement and job satisfaction. Nonetheless, the inflow of housemaids from abroad continues to benefit the nation in that it enables local females to participate more actively in the formal labour market.
This paper is an original attempt to provide – via random sample surveys of foreign housemaids, their employers, some recruitment agencies as well as government and foreign embassy officials – interesting and important details concerning the size, socio-economic characteristics and issues related to the housemaid market in Brunei. Besides identifying and analysing the problems faced by housemaids and their employers, the paper also reviews and appraises the official policies and procedures pertaining to the recruitment, importation and hiring of these maids from overseas. The paper concludes with some policy recommendations for resolving some of the difficulties faced by the diverse parties involved in this secondary labour market.
POVERTY-FOCUSED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS: REAPING THE BENEFIT OF GLOBALIZATION?*
Chamhuri Siwar
Globalization is considered both as an opportunity and threat to state, national and regional development which in turn impacts heavily on poverty eradication programs. Despite the inherent benefits, the trickle down process of globalization takes too long to reach the masses while the politically and economically powerful enjoy most. It is shown that economic globalization records unparalleled growth and increased inequality and poverty among nations as witnessed during the Asian economic crisis. This article discusses the effects of the crisis in terms of the risks of volatile capital flows, lower economic growth, decline in value of currency, rising unemployment, falling labour demand and lesson learned from a case study on the impact of the crisis on the poor & low income groups in Malaysia. The article argues that for globalization to be meaningful, an enabling framework is needed to protect and insulate the poor from the threats of globalization.
COMMERCIAL BANKS LENDING AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN MALAYSIA: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
Tang Tuck Cheong
The major concern of this paper is to determine the causal relationship between commercial banks lending and economic performance in a small open economy, Malaysia. Engle-Granger (1987) cointegration and causality methodology was used in the analysis. Annual data from 1959 to 1998 reveal a long-run relationship among Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) and commercial banks lending in aggregate level. The long-run elasticity of commercial banks lending on RGDP is 0.50 and the elasticity of RGDP on commercial banks lending is 2.0. The causality analysis shows that the aggregate growth of commercial banks lending has no predictive content for economic growth. A reverse direction of causality indicates that economic growth does ‘cause’ growth of commercial banks lending. These results therefore imply a remarkable need of commercial banks credit while economic growth is well performed.
AN ECONOMIC VALUATION OF THE DIRECT-USE VALUES OF THE SARAWAK MANGROVE FOREST RESERVE*
Anthony Kong
This study determines the direct-use values of the Sarawak Mangrove Forest Reserve, Malaysia, using two different methods: collecting daily yield records and doing household interviews. The direct-use values are the values obtained from the direct use or interaction with the mangroves’ products or services. ‘Mangroves’ are areas defined by the local population as that which support ‘mangrove’ products and activities and are sources of their livelihood. A sample of 20 households in Kampung Salak was selected for the study. The mangrove products were valued using market price and substitute price methods. The results show that commercial uses of the mangroves dominate the direct-use values. The total net direct-use value amounts to RM429 per ha per year (US$113 per ha per year). Values from household interviews are many times larger than that from daily records. Results from other studies are given for comparison.