Events

CHAIRPERSON

Prof Elaine Lynn-Ee Ho, Asia Research Institute, and Department of Geography, National University of Singapore

ABSTRACT

The presentation will explore the interactions between transnational labour migration, multinational corporations’ (MNCs) location strategies, and public policies in the context of contemporary Malaysia. My main hypothesis is that the country’s position in global production networks is dependent on the presence of a large pool of foreign workers. To demonstrate this relationship, I develop the concept of ‘migration rent’ in order to account for the specific characteristics of migrant labour in Malaysia. By showing that this rent allows the optimisation of labour, as a production factor, beyond the sole issue of labour costs, the concept allows an explanation for why foreign direct investment does not move to lower wage countries. By allowing and organising the recruitment of foreign workers on a large scale, the government has shaped territories where both capital and labour can be relocated to achieve effective production factor combinations, and has effectively generated an “exogeneous labour market”. To understand this process, I will articulate the concept of ‘combined relocation’, which describes transnational investment strategies where both capital and labour are moved to a third country—here Malaysia – under the former’s command. In so doing, I thus intend to contribute to the literature on transnational labour migration, on MNCs’ spatial strategies, and on Malaysia’s political economy.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Loïs Bastide is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of French Polynesia, and currently, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute (ARI) of National University of Singapore and Statutory Researcher at IRASEC. At ARI, he is developing a research project on the politicization processes of Indonesian migrant workers, with fieldworks in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. This work draws upon and extends the research initiated during his PhD, which investigated the constitution of a transnational social space between the three neighbouring countries, through the cross-border mobilities of Indonesian workers. During his research stay at ARI, Loïs Bastide also continues coordinating an ongoing, wide-ranging research program on social change in French Polynesia.

REGISTRATION

Registration is closed. Please write to aritm@nus.edu.sg if you would like to attend the seminar.