Thailand needs a new growth pathway

Unemployment. Bankruptcy. Rising inequality and a deteriorating environment. Can Thailand, weighed down by its ageing population, recover from the Covid-19 economic and public health crises to build a more secure future? No, if policymakers still pursue an economic growth strategy that weakens the people and destroys the environment to serve the rich few. Yes, the […]

Thailand’s options as trade war rages

Somkiat Tangkitvanich As the intensifying US-China trade war plunges the world into an economic slowdown, Thailand urgently needs to review trade policies to save its export-dependent economy. One thing is clear: Trade conflicts between the world’s two biggest economies will drag on for a long time. The result is an economic slowdown across the globe […]

‘Khon Kaen Model’ displays real promise

Somkiat Tangkitvanich Khon Kaen, in the Northeast, is one of the biggest cities in Thailand and, like Bangkok, it suffers from serious traffic congestion problems, but does not have a rail-based mass-transit system. Although these provinces are fully aware of their problems and would desperately like to solve them, constructing a rail transit system requires […]

Double-digit growth seen for software

KOMSAN TORTERMVASANA The software market is expected to grow by double digits in 2015, its highest pace in three years, thanks to the proliferation of smart wireless devices and the growth of digital lifestyles. Despite the gloomy economic outlook, the local software market remains promising, as the private sector continues spending on software and software-related […]

Australia urges more trade liberalisation under TAFTA

 LIKASIT PONGPA-NGAN PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI AUSTRALIA is keen on liberalisation of the trade in agricultural products and professional services after the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) has been in effect for 10 years, while foreseeing strong trade growth between the two nations. At an Australia-Thailand Business Forum yesterday, Greg Wallis, Australia’s senior trade commissioner to Thailand, […]

Our ageing society is on creaky foundations

 Pichaya Svasti My increasing grey hair and fine lines and referring to the young generation as “people these days” are among signs that I am ageing. Although I have long admitted I am old and must prepare myself for a lonely retirement, I am not quite ready for it and the latest news made me […]

NBTC bill ‘open to unchecked spending’

KOMSAN TORTERMVASANA A major amendment is needed to the draft National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) bill to prevent political intervention, says an independent think tank. Somkiat Tangkitvanich, president of the Thailand Development and Research Institute, said the draft bill might not solve chronic problems of the telecommunications and broadcasting industries. The bill is being […]

Education reform: First put teachers back in the classroom!

Education reform, one of the major topics in the ongoing reform process, can’t begin to see the light of the day without some real efforts to shake things up. But that probably won’t happen in the foreseeable future despite what the reformists may say on paper. Education Minister Admiral Narong Pipatanasai hasn’t come up with […]

TDRI Quarterly Review, March 2015

Contents Somkiat Tangkitvanich, Nonarit Bisonyabut Toward High-Quality Growth: Thailand’s Challenges and Opportunities in the Next Three Decades Chatra Kamsaeng 4G Technology and the Mobile Telephone Industry

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