Politics and Government of Thailand

Instructor

Associate Professor Dr. Thanapan Laiprakobsup [thanapan.l@chula.ac.th]

Course Description

This course will introduce and explore fundamental topics regarding to Thai contemporary politics and government by using developmental and historical approaches. The topics include development of Thai politics and government in the context of social, economic, and global transformation and impacts of social, cultural and political structures including related institutions where periodical modification of different institutional roles and interconnections covered. The institutional topics such as political parties, legislation, and bureaucratic agencies will be explored. Students will explores the topics from the theoretical lens such as Statism, Bureaucratic Authoritarianism, or Hierarchical Capitalism. It will also explore issues such as patron-clients in Thai politics, political polarization, or urbanization.

Learning Outcomes

• Comprehend in fundamental issues in Thai contemporary politics.

• Being able to think critically in issues in Thai contemporary politics.

• Being able to link problems in Thai politics with communal and global contexts.

• Lead the discussion of Thai political problems and propose introductory problem-solving to those problems.

Course Contents

Week 1: Introduction to Class and Centralization, Fragmentation of Political Elites, and Patron-Client: Introduction to Thai Politics and Government (Thanapan)

Week 2: 1932 Thai Revolution and Its Consequences: Statism and Fragmented Political Elite Class (Thanapan)

Week 3: Bureaucratic Authoritarianism: State-Led Development, Political Violence, and Democratic Instability (Pandit)

Week 4: Corporatist State and Semi-Democracy in the 1980s. (Thanapan)

Week 5: Transition to Electoral Politics and the Rise of Rural Politicians (Thanapan)

Week 6: Electoral Politics and Economic Meltdown (Thanapan)

Week 7: Globalization, Urbanization, and Their Political Consequences (Pitch)

Week 8: Politics of Constitutional Reform (External Speaker)

Week 9: Mid Term Exam

Week 10: Electoral Politics and Institutionalization of Political Parties (Siripan)

Week 11: Politics of Decentralization and Patron-Client System (Viengrat)

Week 12: Yellows VS Reds: Political Polarization and Democratic Instability (Kanokrat)

Week 13: New Generation of Political Leadership and Democratic Instability (External Speaker)

Week 14: The Return of Bureaucratic Authoritarianism and Hierarchical Capitalism (Thanapan)

Week 15: Student's Presentations and Conclusion of Fundamental Issues in Thai Politics

Week 16: Final Exam

Learning and Teaching Methods

• Lecture

• Discussion: A pair of students will lead the discussion.

• Homework Essays: Each student will be assigned to write an essay to respond to the topics of the assigned weeks.

• Final Papers: A group of students (between 3 - 4 students) will write a final papers by advising the lecturer.

• Mid Term Exam: It covers the first half of the class.

• Final Exam: It cover the second half of the class.

Learning Resources

Bello, W., & Poh, L. K. (1998). Siamese Tragedy: Development and Disintegration in Modern Thailand. London: Zed Books.

Callahan, W.A., McCargo, D. (1996). Vote-Buying in Thailand's Northeast: the July 1995 General Election. Asian Survey

Connors, M., & Hewison, K. (2008). Introduction: Thailand and the “good coup,” Journal of Contemporary Asia, 38(1), 1-10.

Doner, R. (2009). The Politics of Uneven Development: Thailand's Economic Growth in Comparative Perspectives. NY, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Gadavanij, S. (2019). Contentious polities and political polarization in Thailand: Post-Thaksin reflections. Discourse & Society, 31(1), 44-63.

McCargo, D. (2002). Reforming Thai Politics. (edited). Copenhagen: the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies.

Ockey, J. (2004). State, bureaucracy and polity in modern Thai politics. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 34(2), 143-162.

Phongpaichit, P., & Baker, C. (2002). Thailand: Economy and Politics. England: Oxford University Press.

Phongpaichit, P., & Baker, C. (2004). Thaksin: The Business of Politics. Copenhagen: the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies.

Pitakdumrongkit, K., &Lim, G. (in press). Neo-Liberalism, the Rise of the Unelected and Policymaking in Thailand: The Case of the Medical Tourism Industry, Journal of Contemporary Asia.

Riggs, F. (1966). The Modernization of Bureaucratic Polity. Hawii: East-West Center Press.ureaucratic Polity. Hawaii: East-West Center Press.