Beware ‘populist policy trap’

Pathom Sangwongwanich Non-welfare strategy a risk, say economists The government should abandon its nonwelfare populist policies on the grounds that Thailand could fall further into the middle-income trap and face low productivity, says an economist. Addressing social welfare is important as part of economic reform and nonwelfare policies, such as the the first-time car buyer […]

Impacts of price hikes limited

Weak spending curbs room for pass-through Low-income earners are bracing themselves for hikes in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), electricity and Expressway tolls this month. “Typically, such earners are more vulnerable than those earning higher wages whenever the cost of living surges,” said Thammarat Kittisiripat,an assistant vice-president of TMB Bank. The higher living […]

Warning on rice policy a wake-up call for govt

TDRI says losses from rice-pledging scheme may exceed estimates A warning by credit-rating agency Moody’s about the government’s controversial rice-pledging scheme is “worth listening to”, and the loss from the scheme this year is expected to exceed estimates, a senior Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) official said yesterday. An earlier forecast of the scheme estimated […]

TDRI Quarterly Review, March 2013

Contents Pakorn Vichyanond Intricate Issues behind Public Debt Management Viroj NaRanong Proposed Reforms in the Structure of Thailand’s Sugar and Cane Industry Jiraporn Plangpraphan, Somchai Jitsuchon Child Poverty in Thailand: A Study Using Non-income and Income Concepts

Experts query borrowing bill

Concerned over high-speed train projects. Several experts have called on the government to enhance the credibility of feasibility studies and balance the decision-making power of projects listed under the government’s 2-trillion-baht borrowing bill. Of the total amount, 80% will go to the rail system, with the remainder allocated to upgrading seaports, roads and customs checkpoints. […]

TDRI warning on infrastructure plan

Lack of clarity and feasibility studies cause for worry. The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) has raised serious concerns over the infrastructure projects planned under the Bt2-trillion budget as there was no clarity on the value of the investments, especially the high-speed trains for which no feasibility study has been conducted. Though the TDRI agreed […]

Make changes to structure while baht is high, meet told

Amid the appreciating baht, Thailand should seize the chance to make economic structural adjustments to depend more on domestic investment, particularly in technology, for higher production competitiveness rather than on exports, a seminar heard yesterday. “A major obstacle to Thailand’s economic development is a very high reliance on exports,” Chalongphob Sussangkarn, former finance minister and […]

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