Impact Evaluation Adoption Towards Coastal Communities with Ongoing East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) in Terengganu

Objective: This article focuses on ongoing ECRL development challenges in Terengganu, Malaysia, by adapting the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG) impact evaluation framework, which can serve as a tool for policy intervention in reducing inequality and promoting partnership. Theoretical Framework: The role of the state theory, as applied to explain the initiative launched through state coordination, requires a multistakeholder approach or structuration process in order to assess the impact on the beneficiary's sustainability. Method: The methodology adopted for this research has included in-depth interviews, observations, and site-visit approaches with local people and authoritative informants, and is heavily supported by desk research. Results and Discussion: The result shows that local coastal communities of several towns in Setiu, Terengganu, are positively accepting of this ECRL development. Nevertheless, collaboration and further information are also needed to make themselves compatible with socioeconomic changes. Research Implications: The critical APPGM-SDG mechanism, based on its success story in terms prior impact evaluation, should be embraced in assessing ongoing ECRL and its development through government-to-government partnerships. Originality/Value: This study led to the three imperatives recommendations on the academic context of the development corpus, advocacy, and policy moral deliverables.