This book traces Malaysia's economic expansion and evaluates the success of the government's New Economic Policy (NEP), which was designed to promote national unity by reducing poverty as well as by loosening the link between ethnicity and economic function. As well as providing the first comprehensive analysis of income distribution trends after the inauguration of the NEP, the study also considers interethnic, urban-rural, and regional variations over time. Shireen Hashim shows that poverty and inequality are still rampant, though she demonstrates significant reductions in poverty and declining income inequality. Her thorough analysis and use of previously unpublished data makes this work a key reference on the Malaysian economy.