Challenge and Change in East Asia: “Business Populism” in Thailand

Issue Date April 2005
Volume 16
Issue 2
Page Numbers 58-72
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Read the full essay here.

Recently reelected premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his “Thais Love Thais” party offer a fusion of populist rhetoric with policies that serve the interests of the Thai business class.

About the Authors

Pasuk Phongpaichit

Pasuk Phongpaichit is professor of economics at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. 

View all work by Pasuk Phongpaichit

Chris Baker

Chris Baker is an independent writer. With Pasuk Phongpaichit, they have written Thaksin: The Business of Politics in Thailand (2004), Thailand: Economy and Politics, 2nd ed. (2002), and other works.

View all work by Chris Baker

Further Reading

Volume 2, Issue 4

Political Corruption: Thailand’s Search for Accountability

Read the full essay here.

Volume 26, Issue 2

Exits from Military Rule: Lessons for Burma

Burma’s troubled transition is imperiled by the reluctance of the military to loosen its grip. What lessons can the Burmese learn from other East Asian countries that have emerged from military…

Volume 35, Issue 1

Why Democracy Survives Populism

Populism is a mortal threat to liberal democracy, but it rarely hits the mark. The evidence shows that these would-be strongmen require an extraordinary set of circumstances to succeed, which…