Development Planning: Contexts, Models and Institutions

Abstract

Development planning in Brunei has been shaped by a range of institutional, historical and ideological factors. The particular path to independence adopted by Brunei coupled with its distinctive political structure, has bequeathed planning models and structures which reflect the strong British involvement in early planning policy in the state. At the same time, the post-independence period has been marked by a conscious effort to fashion both an individual development path for the state, and to create a range of institutions which seek to be distinctively Bruneian in scope and format. This chapter outlines the evolution and objectives of development planning in the state. Firstly, it examines the structures and institutions which shape the planning process. Secondly, it will focus on attempts to define a particular development model in the light of the economic experience of some of its Asian neighbours, and the particular religious and cultural characteristics of Brunei. After a review of the fiscal conditions underpinning development planning, a third section reviews the six National Development Plans enacted to date.