Caught-In or Breaking-Free from the Middle Income Trap: The Case of Malaysia

Malaysia is among the developing economies that has shown relative promise in breaking its middle income trap (MIT). However, the lack of sophistication of institutions for industrial upgrade and the attainment of productive routines means that many local firms remain self-organized and suffer from the absence of complementarities. This study seeks to understand Malaysia’s position on MIT and compare the country’s current trajectory against newly industrialized economies (e.g., South Korea and Taiwan). This study focuses on five explorations that depict Malaysia’s performance position in achieving developed status: (1) income and foreign direct investment, (2) economic structure, (3) upgrading, (4) social capital, and (5) education. This study argues that the key barriers that prevent Malaysia from exiting MIT stem from the lack of effective measures in terms of social capital to improve education and institutions. Thus, the development of productive routines with instituted inclusive measures to accelerate the upgrading process is crucial to break MIT.