THE NEED FOR AN EXTENDED NARRATIVE It is evident early in the evaluative process, both EquiFrame and EquIPP are dependent on the linguistic

14.2 THE NEED FOR AN EXTENDED NARRATIVE It is evident early in the evaluative process, both EquiFrame and EquIPP are dependent on the linguistic

forms and structure, as well as the “completeness” of the NPSTI in the assessment of coverage of the identified Core Concepts of social inclusion, the specific targeting of recognised Vulnerable Groups,

and policy processes that are both equitable and inclusive. This is advantageous in assessing familiar social policies that tend to be specific both in target groups as well as its targets in correcting various forms of inequality and social exclusion that resulted in the core problem which the particular policy tries to address.

The NPSTI on the other hand is recognised to be a policy of social development, or more accurately, a policy of social transformation given the very ambitious targets to be completed in what arguably is a short few years before the year 2020. This is further complicated by the nature of the Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) policy environment in Malaysia which has less rigid boundaries of influence and responsibilities and overlaps with other policy structures supporting socioeconomic development and nation building.

It is therefore argued that the proposed methodology created a situation of juxtaposition between the methods and tools to evaluate social inclusion in different types of policies and different socio-political contexts. Typical social policies that target improvements in human welfare by fulfilling critical needs such as alleviating poverty, education, gender and health are explicitly framed in the context of universal human rights. When using policy analysis tools that specifically explore the coverage of these concepts on these policies, the expected yields are high. Whereas applying the same set of tools on asocial policy that tries to drive transformation at the philosophical, physical and fiscal level in line with national aspirations and values to move up the value chain, identifying the same concepts and emphasis can prove to be problematic as they may not be explicitly evident.

The esoteric nature of the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) ecosystem where the NPSTI operates is demonstrative of such a contrasting policy. Ideas of human rights may apply, but not necessarily explicitly addressed. The juxtaposition occurs at multiple levels across many dimensions. Instead of being a barrier to an insightful review, the differences should be celebrated and harnessed for their potentials to provide insight, and with it, foresight of both the intended and the unintended consequences of the policies.

14.3 THE JUXTAPOSITION OF THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL INCLUSION WITH SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT In some respects, all the methods in essence place the NPSTI side by side with a given model of an

ideal policy that promotes social inclusion, based on the level of enquiry of the method employed respectively. Pragmatically, this should be done on policies that are more in line with the purpose of

social inclusion, the so called “traditional social policies”. The NPSTI is not expected to be forthcoming from a social inclusion perspective due to its emphasis on social development, even though some

aspects of inclusion are explicitly covered in the policy. To support this viewpoint, one may even need to be creative with the definition of social inclusion. The NPSTI promotes inclusive innovation, a form of social inclusion, rather than a more universal definition that is underpinned by the ideas of human rights, such as the definition of an inclusive society by UNESCO from the 1995 World Summit for Social Development.

The evolutionary nature of the STI ecosystem must be respected, as influences of past policies and longstanding values continue to impact on how current and future policies are generated, implemented and incorporated into the legacy and histories of the peoples of Malaysia. Being part of the STI ecosystem, the NPSTI is not a standalone policy. Along with other related policies, particularly involving industrial development and value creation, the NPSTI operates in tandem towards changing the national governance landscape from one that is suited for a commodity-based developing economy into one that is consistent with a knowledge-based and innovation led economy of a developed nation.

Applied for the purposes of this study, it means extending the search to include ideas that contain social inclusion from past policies and even past social practices. The inquiry extends into the Constitution, among members of society, religion and culture.