The Urbanisation Transition in Malaysia in the Twenty-First Century

In my presentation, I would be facing a difficult task of having to weave together four integrated and overlapping intellectual domains that permeate the exploration of the issue of the interacting nexus of the urbanisation transition and its influence on the relationship between market, government and society in Malaysia. First, I want to discuss the issue of my engagement as a foreign researcher with Malaysian society and how this has positioned both my academic life and this presentation. In the second part I focus on the relationships between development and urbanisation and in terms of the theoretical paradigms of transition theory. Thirdly I explore the main ideas that will influence the relationship between urbanisation and development at the level of the global order in the 21st century. Finally I tease out the implications of the changing urban condition of Malaysia to what I believe is a necessary repositioning of the state, market and society in 21st century.