The Effect of State Policies on Emigration: The Case of Malaysia

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate migration in the context of states acting as competitors. By using Malaysia as a case the paper explore how state policies within Malaysia affects the level and composition of emigration. Traditional ‘push’-theory and this paper’s adaption of Hirschman’s (1970) model of ‘exit, voice and loyalty’ and Moses (2005) adaption of this model to a free international migration regime will be used as a framework. Making the assumption that citizens want to maximize their benefits and access to opportunities, this study aims at exploring whether a drop in the state quality will lead to rising emigration. While this study fails to deliver conclusive results of this dynamic, this analysis shows that ethnic groups in Malaysia, due to differentiating citizen policies, experience different access to exit (mobility) and voice (participation) which influences the emigration dynamics in Malaysia.

Keywords: Globalization, migration, exit, voice, Malaysia, competitionstate, ethnicity