Political Economy of Thailand’s Third Gender

Not man, not woman, but kathoey. This study focuses on the political economy surrounding the construction of the third gender in Thailand and opportunities available to non-binary gender identities. Analysis of the kathoey experience sheds new light on the politics of gender and identity and dispells the notion of Thailand as the "gay paradise" that many originally thought.Anthropolog

Social and historical aspects of the assimilation of Christianity in Southeast Asia from 1500-1900 with reference to Thailand and the Philippines

Though many have attempted to address the complexities of the encounter between Christianity and non-western societies, the literature has not dealt much with Southeast Asia. This article attempts to help fill that gap by examining some of the factors affecting the assimilation of Christianity in Southeast Asia by looking at two countries in detail: Thailand and the Philippines. These two countries offer strikingly different assimilation results. Thailand was not colonized when Christianity was introduced while in the Philippines colonization and Christianity were intimately linked. As a result, both Thailand and the Philippines are a study in contrasts

Fighting Irrelevance: The Role of Regional Trade Agreements in International Production Networks in Asia

This chapter contains the sectoral case study on the Thai hard disk drive (HDD) industry. The HDD industry in Thailand was first established during the early 1980s. By 2008, Thailand had become the second-largest HDD exporter in the world, accounting for about 17.4 per cent of world exports. Four out of six major HDD producers have affiliates in Thailand, including Seagate (since 1983), Hitachi GST (since 1991), Western Digital (since 2002) and Toshiba (since 2008). Thus, sufficient time has passed for an assessment to be made of the development of Thailand’s HDD industry.trade liberalization, international production networks, regional trade agreements, value chain, Asia, hard disk drive, East Asia, Thailand

Why Slowing Population Growth in the Philippines is an Imperative

Sometime in the early 1970s, the Philippines and Thailand had about the same population size. Today, the Philippine population has grown so much bigger than that of Thailand. Why? Because Thailand pursued a population program with such vigor that it was able to bring down its annual population growth rate. In the mid-1960s, the Philippines had a higher per capita income than Thailand. Today, Thais have per capita incomes almost two-and-a-half times higher than Filipinos. Is there a connection somewhere?demographic economics, population and family relation

Alternative education or teaching radicalism? New literature on Islamic education in Southeast Asia

This review article focuses on three recent publications on Islamic education in Southeast Asia. While two are monographs on South Thailand and Myanmar/ Burma, one is a collection of essays on Indonesia, Malaysia, South Thailand, Cambodia, and the Southern Philippines. All works highlight local, regional and international educational networks, as well as their connections to the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. Based chiefly on first-hand fieldwork, the works deliver an up-to-date and detailed picture of current discussions and developments regarding Islamic education in Southeast Asia. Key words Education ; Islam ; Southeast Asia ; Indonesia ; Malaysia ; Thailand ; Myanma

Real exchange rate and terms of trade: Some empirical evidence in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand

This study examined the relationship between real exchange rate and terms of trade in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand in two cases, namely a three-variable case and a four-variable case. The results of co-integration tests showed that there is long-run relationships among real exchange rate, terms of trade, and relative demand for Malaysia. Moreover, there is long-run relationship among real exchange rate, terms of trade, relative demand, and relative real interest rate for Malaysia and Thailand. The results of Granger causality showed that real exchange rate does not Granger cause terms of trade, however the result is mixed for Thailand. The contribution of terms of trade and relative demand to real exchange rate is mixed and small. Generally, the contribution of terms of trade to real exchange rate is greater than the contribution of relative demand in Singapore. For Thailand, relative demand is more important than terms of trade in the determination of real exchange rate. For Malaysia, the results are mixed

New species and new combinations in Sonerila and Phyllagathis (Melastomataceae) from Thailand

While revising the Melastomataceae for the Flora of Thailand, we discovered two new species of Sonerila, as well as the need for transferring two species of Tylanthera endemic to Thailand into Phyllagathis. Sonerila urceolata and S. loeiensis are endemic to the southeast and the northeast of Thailand, respectively. The first is allied to the widespread S. erecta Jack, from which it differs mainly in the strongly urceolate capsule and the sessile fruit placenta; the second is distinguished from other acaulescent species of Sonerila by its extremely long-petiolate large leaves and long-pedunculate inflorescence. The new combinations, Phyllagathis tuberosa (Hansen) Cellinese & Renner and P. siamensis Cellinese & Renner nom. nov., are made because both taxa lie inside the morphologic and phylogenetic bounds of Phyllagathis

Thai secondary school science classrooms: Constructivist learning environments

This paper describes the first study conducted in Thailand (2002-2003) that resulted in changes in science teachers’ classroom environments. In the first phase of the study, the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), an instrument for assessing students’ perceptions of the actual and preferred classroom environment through the constructivist perspective, was validated for use in Thailand. Second, typical Thai secondary school science classroom environments were described using quantitative and qualitative methods. Finally, the effectiveness of constructivist teaching in promoting improvement in classroom environments was evaluated through an action research process, involving the use of feedback on actual and preferred classroom environments. The sample consisted of seven secondary science teachers and their 17 classes of 606 students in Nakornsawan Province, Thailand. Student Actual and Preferred Forms of the CLES, assessing Personal Relevance, Uncertainty, Critical Voice, Shared Control and Student Negotiation, were administered. Factor analysis and internal consistency measures supported a five-factor structure for both actual and preferred forms. Students’ attitudes to science were also measured. The actual and preferred environments of different classes were described based on profiles of classroom environment scores. A number of teachers then participated in an attempt to improve their classroom environments, through the use of a constructivist teaching approach. Changes in classrooms did occur, thus supporting the effectiveness of constructivist teaching in improving learning environments and students’ attitudes towards science in Thailand

Universal coverage but unequal access? Factors affecting the use of health services in Northeast & South Thailand.

Abstract Thailand’s rapid economic growth has brought health challenges as well as benefits, namely a rise in life expectancy to 6.5 years above the global average, and an ‘epidemiological transition’ from infectious and deficiency diseases, to chronic non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. Previous research in Northeast and South Thailand by the Wellbeing in Developing Countries ESRC Research Group demonstrates the importance of health to people’s subjective quality of life and wellbeing, and suggests that ill health is a significant problem - nearly a fifth of households in WeD sites experienced severe health-related ‘shocks’ during the past five years, and a third of household heads defined themselves as chronically ill. In 2001 the Government of Thailand introduced the Universal Health Coverage scheme to offer near-universal health care coverage. However, while this has reduced ‘out of pocket’ expenditures for healthcare and impoverishment through ‘catastrophic expenditures’, the perceived quality of its services mean it is in danger of becoming little more than a safety net and failing to ameliorate existing inequalities. This proposition is explored using the results of large-scale qualitative health study carried out by WeD with 245 men and women from different age groups and socio-economic statuses in Northeast and South Thailand, supplemented by WeD household survey data. The paper is divided into three parts; the first briefly introduces Thailand and the WeD sites, and describes the sampling and methodology. It also reviews current discourses about health and health issues in Thailand, and outlines the context to health and health services. The second presents data from the qualitative health research covering health risks, and the incidence and impacts of chronic illness and disability. The final section looks at the health seeking behaviour of people in the WeD sites (illustrated with case studies), focusing particularly on use of the UHC and traditional medicine

The credit risk-contingency system of an Asian development bank

This article offers a new method for the evaluation of financial institutions, one that combines socioeconomic survey data with appropriate accounting standards. A government-operated development bank in Thailand is found to be offering a risk-contingency or insurance system while being regulated as a more standard, loan-generating bank. Farmer clients experiencing adverse shocks receive indemnities that improve their well-being. With proper provisioning and accounts, that welfare gain could be weighed against premia or government subsidies.Financial crises - Asia ; Financial institutions - Thailand ; Thailand