ASSESSING SOCIOECONOMIC DIFFERENTIATION OF RURAL HOUSEHOLD GROUPS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

The variation of rural Malaysian household groups is a result of their different socioeconomic backgrounds, as each household group tends to carry its own distinct economic potential. Therefore, in order to plan for the development of rural areas, it is essential to acknowledge the determinants that causes these economic variations to occur. This paper aims to assess the differentiation of rural households’ socioeconomic backgrounds in rural areas of Malaysia, and to highlight a review of relevant studies on 20 identified determinants for the differentiation of households' socioeconomic background according to five capitals (economic, social, human, cultural and environmental) as the fundamental framework in measuring household economic performance. Quantitative approach was used as a method to assess the variation of the determinants that causes the differentiation in socioeconomic backgrounds of household groups. Results from this study reveals the key findings on the levels of socioeconomic backgrounds based on six different household groups in Malaysia.