Thailand Trapped: Catch-up Legacies and Contemporary Malaise. Issue 2 (11th July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kanchoochat, Veerayooth
• Is Part Of: TRaNS. Volume 6:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 253
• Page End: 277
• Publication Date: 2018-07-11
• Subjects: Thailand, -- Catch-up, -- Path Dependence, -- Economic Growth, -- Sarit Thanarat; Human geography -- Southeast Asia -- Periodicals; Anthropology -- Southeast Asia -- Periodicals; Southeast Asia -- Geography -- Periodicals; Southeast Asia -- Relations -- Periodicals; 959
• DOI: 10.1017/trn.2018.3
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2051-364X

Abstract

Abstract: A better understanding of Thailand's contemporary malaise needs a perspective that combines political and economic aspects without losing sight of history. This article applies the concept of path dependence to examine how pre-1997 catch-up industrialisation shaped the post-crisis trajectory. It argues that the catch-up process has left a number of important legacies, especially the symbiotic relationship between the military, banking conglomerates, and technocrats; dominant growth narrative with a focus on macroeconomic stability; and overly centralised and bloated state structures. These legacies have shaped the strategies and legitimacies of today's political actors and rendered the pursuit of growth increasingly contradictory to maintaining order.