Thai state formation and the political economy of the middle-income trap

Satitniramai, Apichat

doi:10.4324/9781315151328-15

Cited by 4 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…Analysing the inconsistent relationship between the middle class and democratisation in contemporary Thai politics, this article uses the term middle class exclusively to refer to the upper or older middle class as defined above. More recent work in this area takes account of the more complicated and diverse nature of the Thai middle class, applying a hybrid approach, including the assessment of quantitative data on socio-economic status and lifestyle, including income, education level, career type and assets, to classify the middle class in its diversity (Apichat and Anusorn 2017; Chalita 2017; Thorn and Chanon 2017). Such scholars argue that the continuation of economic growth between the late 1980s and 2000s, with the brief exception of the 1997 Asian economic crisis, allowed the vast majority of the poor to successfully climb above the poverty line and turn themselves into a new or lower middle class, while the pre-existing members of the middle class that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s became the old or upper middle class (Apichat and Anusorn 2017).…”

Section: Defining the Middle Class In A Context Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…While members of the lower middle class tend to have higher incomes than the lower class, most still have a lower education than the upper middle class. They work in either the seasonal-agricultural and informal sectors or are lower-level or temporary staff in the public or private sector (Apichat and Anusorn 2017; Chalita 2017). The upper middle class are the urban and highly educated middle class and enjoy a relatively luxurious lifestyle.…”

Section: Defining the Middle Class In A Context Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The upper middle class are the urban and highly educated middle class and enjoy a relatively luxurious lifestyle. They are either professionals or entrepreneurs, with or without employees, but they certainly work outside the agricultural sector (Apichat and Anusorn 2017; Thorn and Chanon 2017). This study proposes that the divergence among these middle classes laid the foundation for political conflict in Thailand from the 2000s until the present day.…”

Section: Defining the Middle Class In A Context Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study proposes that the divergence among these middle classes laid the foundation for political conflict in Thailand from the 2000s until the present day. The lower middle class tended to be in support of the Thaksin government and the Red Shirt movement, but the upper middle class tended to support the anti-Thaksin movement, the Yellow Shirts, under the leadership of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) or the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) (Apichat and Anusorn 2017; Apichat et al 2012).…”

Section: Defining the Middle Class In A Context Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the early 1990s, the Thai middle class grew and established themselves, both financially and socially, as upper middle class (Apichat and Anusorn 2017). The loyalties of this middle class also switched back and forth.…”

Section: The Paradox Of the Middle Class In Democratisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Paradox of the Thai Middle Class in Democratisation

Lertchoosakul

2021

TRaNS

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The relationship of the bourgeoisie and democratisation has been inconsistent across the history of democracy. This work offers an alternative explanation taking the example of the Thai middle class, which had promoted democracy, turned against it. From the democratic transition of 1973 until the present day, the Thai middle class has played contradictory roles in the democratisation of the country. This work investigates the effects of democratic institution-building after regime change and the efforts to consolidate democracy in the middle class. This work proposes two major observations. The first is the failure of the middle class to establish themselves in democratic institutions and processes in either the legislature/executive, political parties, local government or structured interest groups. They have learned of the uncertainty of free elections and how the elected executives have benefitted other classes but not them. The second regards the missing prerequisite of democracy. Insufficient understanding of majority rules and two-turnover elections, caused the middle class who were disappointed with the outcome of democratic regimes and systems to easily turn away from democracy.

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Section: Defining the Middle Class In A Context Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining the Middle Class In A Context Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining the Middle Class In A Context Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining the Middle Class In A Context Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Paradox Of the Middle Class In Democratisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The Paradox of the Thai Middle Class in Democratisation

Lertchoosakul

2021

TRaNS

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The Thailand national AI ethics guideline: an analysis

Hongladarom

2021

JICES

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Purpose The paper aims to analyze the content of the newly published National AI Ethics Guideline in Thailand. Thailand’s ongoing political struggles and transformation has made it a good case to see how a policy document such as a guideline in AI ethics becomes part of the transformations. Looking at how the two are interrelated will help illuminate the political and cultural dynamics of Thailand as well as how governance of ethics itself is conceptualized. Design/methodology/approach The author looks at the history of how the National AI Ethics Guidelines came to be and interprets its content, situating the Guideline within the contemporary history of the country as well as comparing the Guideline with some of the leading existing guidelines. Findings It is found that the Guideline represents an ambivalent and paradoxical nature that characterizes Thailand’s attempt at modernization. On the one hand, there is a desire to join the ranks of the more advanced economies, but, on the other hand, there is also a strong desire to maintain its own traditional values. Thailand has not been successful in resolving this tension yet, and this lack of success is shown in the way that content of the AI Ethics Guideline is presented. Practical implications The findings of the paper could be useful for further attempts in drafting and revising AI ethics guidelines in the future. Originality/value The paper represents the first attempt, so far as the author is aware, to analyze the content of the Thai AI Ethics Guideline critically.

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Double Dualism, Economic Growth Slowdown, and Falling Income Inequality in Thailand

VECHSURUCK,

PRATOOMCHAT

2024

Asian Development Review

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Thailand has experienced a decline in income inequality coupled with unimpressive economic growth since the end of the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis. This paper uses the structuralist approach to understand how these concurrent economic phenomena have become deeply intertwined. We argue that this intertwining results from Thailand’s economic structure, manifesting two types of dualism: (i) the dualism of the formal–informal sectors and (ii) the dualism of the dynamic–stagnant sectors. A decline in the informal sector in recent years coincides with a decrease in income inequality. Further, the second type of dualism between the dynamic and stagnant sectors has emerged since 2000. The stagnant sectors’ employment share has grown faster than that of the dynamic sectors, resulting in a slowdown in economic growth and less inequality. The decline of the informal sector and the rise of the stagnant sectors are the primary engines weighing down economic growth and reducing income inequality in Thailand.

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Thai state formation and the political economy of the middle-income trap

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

The Paradox of the Thai Middle Class in Democratisation

The Paradox of the Thai Middle Class in Democratisation

The Thailand national AI ethics guideline: an analysis

Double Dualism, Economic Growth Slowdown, and Falling Income Inequality in Thailand

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