Political Science and Public Administration Journal

Thai Rice Industry 5.0 Steering Committee: Policy Recommendations for Enhancing the Competitiveness of Thailand’s Rice Industry

2025-05-22T11:24:04+07:00

This study investigates the current status and challenges of the Thai rice industry with the objective of proposing an effective collaborative framework between the public and private sectors for sustainable industry development. Utilizing a qualitative research approach, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants intimately involved in the Thai rice sector to obtain a comprehensive understanding of prevailing issues and dynamics. The study further explores critical success factors underlying Public-Private-Producer Partnerships (4P). Findings indicate that collaboration should be operationalized through Value Chain Development (VCD), facilitated by the establishment of the “Thai Rice Industry Council 5.0,” an integrated multi-stakeholder body. This council, supported by a steering committee under the “Quadruple Helix for Sustainability” framework, delineates roles wherein the government focuses on research and seed development, the private sector spearheads technology and marketing initiatives, and farmers act as primary producers and advocates for sustainable agricultural practices. This integrative approach is anticipated to strengthen the competitiveness and ensure the sustainable growth of the Thai rice industry.

Political Factors Affecting Public Expenditure on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Thailand, 2002-2023

2025-07-24T11:30:18+07:00

The allocation of public expenditure for health promotion and disease prevention represents a crucial mechanism reflecting the state's commitment to sustainable health system development, particularly as Thailand transitions into an aging society and confronts epidemiological shifts from acute communicable diseases to chronic non-communicable diseases. However, governmental budgetary decisions are not solely predicated upon health principles or public demands, but rather depend on multidimensional determinants of public spending, particularly political factors that play a pivotal role in shaping public policy directions. This study aims to 1) examine political factors influencing the determination of public expenditure on health promotion and disease prevention, and 2) propose policy recommendations for enhancing the efficiency of public expenditure allocation for health promotion and disease prevention. The research employed a quantitative approach utilizing time series data from 2002 - 2023 and multiple regression analysis techniques, integrating public finance theory, political economy theory, and public expenditure determination theory. The study period encompasses several significant political transitions in Thailand, including military coups, governmental changes, and health system reforms. Regarding the first objective, the findings reveal that the model explains 91.9% of the variance in the dependent variable (R² = 0.919), with governmental democracy (β = -1.352, p = 0.001) and fiscal decentralization (β = -1.037, p < 0.001) demonstrating statistically significant negative effects on disease prevention expenditure, while the previous year's expenditure (β = 0.040, p = 0.005) exhibits a positive effect, reflecting incremental budgeting characteristics. Regarding the second objective, the study presents five critical policy recommendations: establishing mechanisms to prevent political interference, developing evidence-based communication systems, improving health sector decentralization systems, enhancing evaluation systems, and refining budget allocation mechanisms. These results contradict traditional democratic theory and support public choice theory, which postulates that politicians in democratic regimes tend to prioritize policies that yield short-term political returns. This study has significant implications for developing mechanisms to prevent political interference, improving health sector decentralization systems, developing evidence-based communication systems, and ensuring continuity of disease prevention investments for the long-term health of the Thai population.

The Area-Based Natural Resources Governance Approach and the River Basin Committee: The Case of East Coast River Basin Committee in Thailand

2025-07-18T14:51:18+07:00

Thailand has implemented various instrumental economic policies to transition from a middle-income to a high-income country, with a strong focus on industrial development, particularly in the automotive and electronics sectors. However, these economic growth strategies are heavily dependent on extensive water resources, making effective water management crucial. Persistent challenges related to flood and drought risks continue to hinder sustainable development, as successive governments struggle to implement long-term, effective solutions. In response, Thailand has shifted from a top-down water management approach with strong sectorial administrative functions to a more decentralized area-based management model through the establishment of river basin committees across all 22 river basins. These committees are responsible for planning basin-based water resource management and allocation, as well as flood and drought management at the basin level. This study examines how the structures, mechanisms, and operational models of river basin committees influence area-based natural resource governance at the regional level. Using a case study of the East Coast River Basin Committee, the research employs document analysis and in-depth interviews to assess the committee’s role in bridging national water management policies with localized governance. Beyond its planning responsibilities, the committee also strengthens the capacity of local administrative organizations in structuring water management projects, facilitates information-sharing, and creates consultation platforms to resolve conflicts. However, applying a sustainable area-based natural resource governance framework reveals key challenges, including defining the appropriate spatial scale of stakeholder participation, translating the mutual agreements into policy implementation, and aligning diverse interests into shared goals and visions. To address these issues, this study recommends enhancing the institutional capacity of river basin committees and adopting co-creation processes with local communities to collaboratively formulate river basin management shared visions and working rules for both local scale and broader water planning practice.

Developing a Big Data Analytics Tool to Enhance the Efficiency of Hotel Fee Collection by Provincial Administrative Organizations in the Northeast of Thailand

2025-06-17T09:19:14+07:00

Provincial Administrative Organizations (PAOs) play a critical role in delivering basic public services. However, many PAOs continue to face challenges in efficiently collecting revenues, particularly in managing hotel fees. This study addresses the question of whether enhancing hotel databases through the use of big data can improve PAOs’ fee collection performance. Using a participatory action research approach in ten PAOs across Northeastern Thailand, the findings reveal several issues that hinder effective hotel fee collection, including outdated and incomplete hotel lists, underreporting of revenue by establishments, and lack of cooperation from hotel operators. In response, the researchers developed the “PAO Hotel 360” platform to extract hotel data from booking websites, thereby increasing the accuracy and comprehensiveness of hotel information and enabling better revenue estimation. The implementation of this tool led to substantial improvements in database coverage: that is, Kalasin PAO saw a 165.38% increase in hotel listings, Khon Kaen 62.42%, Chaiyaphum 58.96%, Nakhon Phanom 82.12%, Nakhon Ratchasima 177.62%, Roi Et 37.56%, Loei 74.04%, Nong Khai 106.09%, and Udon Thani 129.58%, with an average increase of 91.91% across all cases—corresponding to an estimated 19 million THB in previously uncollected revenue. These findings demonstrate that web scraping technology can effectively reduce information gaps and significantly improve the efficiency of hotel fee collection at the local government level.

Applying the Concept of City Image to Spatial Potential Analysis: A Case Study of Nong Sung Tai Sub-district, Nong Sung District, Mukdahan Province

2025-08-22T17:30:15+07:00

This study examines the city image of Nong Sung Tai Subdistrict as perceived by its residents and explores its relationship with the potential of local resources. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining survey data from 163 participants selected through simple random sampling across all communities with in-depth interviews conducted with 13 key informants, including community leaders and elders. The findings reveal that Nong Sung Tai is predominantly characterized as the “Land of Dharma” and the “Land of Phu Thai Culture.” Residents identified Phu Cho Ko Temple and indigenous Phu Thai culture as the resources most strongly representing these city images. Moreover, the study found a positive and consistent relationship between the perceived city image and the potential of local resources: resources with higher potential tended to serve as defining symbols of the area. Three categories of high-potential resources were identified—Phu Thai culture, temples, and natural resources—all of which align closely with the dominant city images uncovered in this research.

From Centralized Development to Local Dissent: Spatial Contestation in Ranong’s Landbridge under Southern Economic Corridor

2025-08-13T16:52:28+07:00

The Landbridge, positioned as one of Thailand’s flagship infrastructure initiatives, aims to establish a strategic connection between deep-sea ports on the Andaman coast and the Gulf of Thailand through an integrated multimodal transport corridor. Like many national megaprojects, it embodies a centralized development paradigm, resulting in violations of community rights and long-term socio-environmental impacts. Focusing on the Ao Ang (Ranong) – Laem Rio (Chumphon) Landbridge, this article critically examines the policy trajectory, highlighting the predetermined nature of the master plan. The analysis draws on the conceptual frameworks of place-based development to examine how national infrastructure policies generate uneven spatial outcomes at the local level. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative research approach, combining data collection with the observation of everyday political practices to inform and shape the analysis. Through the lens of everyday politics, it illustrates how power is reproduced and contested across scales, from entrenched centralized authority to localized patronage networks. Ranong, a region with an ecologically fragile, resource-based economy, large-scale infrastructure projects contradict the territorial ecology and community potential. Public participation is constrained not only by top-down planning but also by local socio-political structures. The article shows how everyday resistance, through collective mobilization and subtle acts, serves as a strategy to contest imposed development and challenge entrenched power. The study argues that public policy analysis must move beyond centralized decision-making and engage with local dynamics that influence policy outcomes. Achieving spatial justice requires more than policy reform; it demands a fundamental restructuring of political space to allow communities meaningful participation in their own development.

Stakeholder Collaboration and Conflict in ADB-Supported Renewable Energy Projects in ASEAN

2025-07-17T15:40:46+07:00

This paper examines the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) role in supporting renewable energy (RE) projects in ASEAN countries, focusing on financial, regulatory, and stakeholder challenges. Building on Stakeholder Theory, the research adapts the framework to the multilevel governance and cross-border context of ASEAN’s energy transition, extending its application to projects involving multilateral development banks. A comparative case study approach is used, analyzing the Monsoon Wind Power Project, Nam Ngiep 1 Hydropower Project, and Green Yellow Rooftop Solar Project through project documents, policy reports, and relevant literature. The results elucidate persistent challenges, including land conflicts, environmental concerns, and regulatory inconsistencies, which are influenced by power imbalances among ADB, national governments, investors, and local communities. While ADB facilitates financial investment and mediates disputes, inadequate stakeholder engagement and fragmented governance hinder project success. Policy suggestions include the strengthening of regulatory uniformity, boosting transparency, and supporting inclusive involvement to attain just and sustainable changes in RE. This adaption for Stakeholder Theory demonstrates its utility in diagnosing relational and institutional complexities in regional energy governance and offers a transferable analytical lens for similar contexts.

Struggling for Better Societies: Critical Intellectuals and Their Pursuits of Liberty and Equality for Thai Society

2025-09-23T14:46:13+07:00

The political crisis of the 2000s in Thailand was rooted in the inability of the traditional culture to restrain its own members. During this period, critical intellectuals challenged the mainstream notion of ‘Thainess’ and envisioned more equitable forms of society. This paper examines their conceptions of liberty and equality amid the growing critique of ‘Thainess’ between the early 1980s (the late 2520 B.E.) and the early 2010s (the first half of 2550s B.E.). The findings reveal that critical knowledge emerged during the crises of unified identity in Thailand. The conceptions of liberty and equality served both as tools for such criticisms and as foundations for envisioning prospective Thai societies. These ideas were articulated through two main approaches. The first one was the tradition of totalizing critique, which gave precedence to individual freedom from state interference and to equality before the just laws, emphasizing civil and political rights as essential to shaping free and equal relationships among individuals under the rule of law. The second approach involved the tradition of internal critique that promoted diverse identities, a free and inclusive society with equal opportunities and fair access to resources, and regarded social rights as an essential element enabling Thai citizens to freely pursue their own lives so that they could become the driving force of society. Although critical intellectuals had offered alternative visions for Thai society, the 2014 military coup temporarily halted their activities, leaving behind a legacy of both their ideas and their limitations for emerging intellectuals.

The Analysis of Thai Political Parties through the Frameworks of Institutionalism and Marxism

2025-06-16T13:41:50+07:00

This study aims 1) to analyze the origins and development of political parties in Thailand, and 2) to examine the roles and influence of capitalist groups on political parties in the country. Employing a qualitative research methodology, the study relies primarily on document analysis. The analytical framework incorporates institutionalist and Marxist perspectives. Data were analyzed using content analysis and are presented in a descriptive format. The findings reveal that 1) the formation and evolution of Thai political parties did not occur independently but were shaped by the politico-economic structure, which benefits military elites and capital groups closely aligned with the state. As a result, political parties have been unable to fulfill their role as genuine representatives of the people, instead functioning as mechanisms for preserving elite power and supporting government policies; and 2) capitalist groups play a significant role in supporting political parties through financial contributions and policy direction. This influence is exerted via power networks in collaboration with politicians, aiming to maintain their economic status and expand political influence. These dynamics reflect the convergence of state and capital interests, leading to the domination of the country’s political and economic structures.

Competing for Attraction and Influence in Thailand: China’s Belt and Road, Connectivity, and Soft Power

2025-09-11T15:53:21+07:00

What is the nexus between the growing connections among countries and soft power dynamics of attraction and influence in international relations? Despite claims of globalization retreat, most countries still value creating multidimensional linkages to improve their reputation while advancing their interests. Major actors like China can embrace these comprehensive strategies due to their attractive national features and capabilities. Beijing blends soft and economic power, promoting appealing sociocultural resources with financial incentives, as exemplified by its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Other prominent actors, including Japan, the US, and the EU, have been eager to develop similar strategies. This has created a potentially constructive competitive environment, where each actor strives to outperform the others in this reputational race. How is this competition for prestige and influence taking shape in Thailand, a crucial node for Southeast Asian connectivity? This study investigates the multiple dimensions of connectivity – physical (i.e. infrastructure), digital, and sociocultural – emphasizing Thailand’s responses in line with the need to balance external influencers, and the implications for regional and global soft power competition. Despite lingering concerns over trustworthiness, China appears to be the most proactive ‘connector’ across a variety of domains, especially when blending soft and economic strategies. More broadly, this article also emphasizes the reasons why this form of competition should be favored over or at least combined with ‘harder’ forms, especially in these turbulent times.