Page 4 - WELFARE IN MALAYSIA ACROSS THREE DECADES: THE STATE OF HOUSEHOLDS 2020 PART 1

This report was prepared by the researchers of the Khazanah Research Institute (KRI):
Christopher Choong Weng Wai, Adam Manaf Mohamed Firouz and Hawati Abdul Hamid.

It was authorised for publication by the Board of Trustees of KRI.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The team is grateful for the leadership and guidance provided by Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop,
Chairman, KRI as well as Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan and Datuk Hisham Hamdan, members of
the Board of Trustees (BOT). The trust and advice given by the BOT have expanded the
intellectual space for us to pursue this research rigorously and impartially. We would also like to
express our heartfelt appreciation to Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Senior Research Advisor, for his
constant source of wisdom and insights throughout the course of the research.

The report would not have taken its current shape without the intellectual guidance of Dr
Nungsari Ahmad Radhi, former Chairman, KRI, at the inception stage. Dr Nungsari and Dr Lee
Hwok Aun, Senior Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, have also provided constructive
comments on the final draft. We would also like to acknowledge Professor Martin Ravallion and
Dr Dominique van de Walle, whose feedback and interactive sessions with us have been
instructive in shaping our thinking and the direction of the report. Special thanks go to the
Department of Statistics Malaysia, particularly Ms Kon Mee Hwa and the national accounts
division, for helping us to better understand the social accounting matrix.

We appreciate the constant support and contributions from our colleagues, present and past.
Nicholas Khaw, Siti Najyah Johar Salim and Hazilah Abdul Karim from the Chairman’s Office, KRI,
for incessantly working behind the scenes to ensure everything goes smoothly. Gregory Ho Wai
Son and Muhammad Nazhan Kamaruzuki for contributing box articles. Alyssa Farha Jasmin, for
her noteworthy contributions while she was at KRI. The rest of The State of Households 2020
team: Siti Aiysyah Tumin, Nur Thuraya Sazali, Nazihah Muhamad Noor, Jarud Romadan Khalidi
and Puteri Marjan, for their camaraderie and team spirit. We are also indebted to Liew Yit Wey,
Anne Sharmila Selvam, Cheong Ruoh Wen, Goh Ming Jun, Wan Amirah Wan Usamah and Amos
Tong Huai En for their diligent and dedicated assistance during their internships at KRI.

There are others, too many to mention, whose interactions with us have directly and indirectly
benefited our thought processes in developing the report. Finally, our deepest inspiration lies
with the people, whose resilience and endurance in these tough times have strengthened our
resolve to find meaning in the data and to generate knowledge that, we hope, will translate into
better lives and more equitable outcomes.

KHAZANAH RESEARCH INSTITUTE iii