Complementarity or competition: the development of human resources in a South-East Asian Growth Triangle: Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore

Globalization has led to the emergence and strengthening of regional and subregional economic co-operation as a means of promoting economic growth. In East Asia, a new kind of sub-regional economic zone known as a 'Growth Triangle' is gaining increasing popularity. This article explains the concept of the Growth Triangle and traces its proliferation in East Asia. It examines the conditions for the success of Growth Triangles and the policies pursued by the various participating governments. It then argues that effective human resource development (HRD) policies are essential for the participating governments to enjoy the benefits of the Growth Triangles. Arguably, the HRD policies within the Growth Triangle should be complementary rather than competitive. But using the 'Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore' Growth Triangle (IMS-GT) as an example, this research asserts that in reality co-operation and complementarity in the HRD arena will give way to competition as the Triangle develops.