Blog

  • A Cultural Constitution in Transition

    A Cultural Constitution in Transition

    In 1985, the historian Nidhi Eoseewong introduced the concept of a cultural constitution in Thailand. Thailand’s written constitutions, he observed, are frequently torn up: charters so easily replaced cannot possibly be worth very much.  But the cultural constitution, which Nidhi describes as the “political culture which is the true supreme arrangement of power relations,” cannot be discarded…

  • CSIS Podcast: Understanding the Thai Elections

    CSIS Podcast: Understanding the Thai Elections

    I was on the Center for Strategic and International Studies’s Southeast Asia Radio podcast to talk about the results of the 2023 Thai general elections. Greg and Elina talk with Ken Mathis Lohatepanont, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Michigan and a writer for the Thai Enquirer. They…

  • Can Pita Limjaroenrat Become Prime Minister?

    Can Pita Limjaroenrat Become Prime Minister?

    As the dust settles on the 2023 general election, minds have turned towards the task of building a coalition.  Before the election, Dr. Napon Jatusripitak and I had outlined three possible scenarios: 1) the status quo, where the conservative coalition assembled by Prayut in 2019 continues to rule, 2) an opposition landslide, where anti-regime parties sweep parliament…

  • Three Takeaways From Thailand’s 2023 Election

    Three Takeaways From Thailand’s 2023 Election

    1. Move Forward wins big The Move Forward Party has over-performed expectations to win this election. At the time of writing, the Move Forward Party is expected to win both the popular vote and the largest number of seats in parliament. By convention, it now has the right to attempt to form a government; the…

  • A Referendum on the Status Quo

    A Referendum on the Status Quo

    In an office in northern Thailand, I sat down with an MP from one of the ruling coalition parties. He was confident of victory in his own constituency, but seemed despondent about the state of affairs in the rest of the country. In particular, it rankled him that the Move Forward Party was gaining popularity.…

  • Three Important Questions Ahead of an Uncertain Election

    Three Important Questions Ahead of an Uncertain Election

    On a campaign truck, the former Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongrueangkit was making a speech supporting a Move Forward candidate. “The opportunity for change has come,” he said. “Please give a chance for Pheu Thai to change Thailand…” He was quickly reminded by his team that he was campaigning for the wrong party. On…

  • The Shifting Overton Window of Election Pledges

    The Shifting Overton Window of Election Pledges

    The Pheu Thai Party recently announced that it would give every Thai above the age of 16 around 10,000 baht in digital currency, should it win the next election. The money would be provided to a digital wallet and was to be spent within six months in shops within a radius of six kilometers. The…

  • The Thai Enquirer Voter Guide: 2023 General Election

    The Thai Enquirer Voter Guide: 2023 General Election

    I compiled a 2023 general election voter guide for the Thai Enquirer. This guide includes information about how this election works and the political landscape, and provides a whirlwind tour of each party’s candidates and policy platforms. I hope that this can be a comprehensive source of information for anyone interested in Thailand’s general election.…

  • Political Dealmaking Will Determine the Winner and Twist Policy Outcomes in Thailand’s Election

    Political Dealmaking Will Determine the Winner and Twist Policy Outcomes in Thailand’s Election

    I cowrote a piece with Dr. Napon Jatusripitak for the ISEAS-Yusof Isak Institute’s Fulcrum website. Only one party, Pheu Thai, has a credible chance of gaining a majority in the 500-member House but among the major parties, it is least likely to lead in forming a viable governing coalition. In a landscape where the unelected…

  • Can Thailand’s Political Parties Take Us Out of the Middle-Income Trap? 

    Can Thailand’s Political Parties Take Us Out of the Middle-Income Trap? 

    In 2016, writing in the Thammasat Economic Journal, Emory University professor Richard Doner described in just a few sentences the problems that plague Thailand’s economy.  Thailand had been “quick on its feet,” Doner wrote, successfully reducing poverty and achieving middle-income status. But too reliant on cheap labor and exports, Thailand’s growth soon stagnated. Quoting Somkiat…