Economic Crisis, Poverty, and the Emergence of Populism in Thailand

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

  Of the three Asian crisis economies that went under the International Monetary Fund (IMF)"s stewardship, only Thailand has experienced a populist backlash. This study explores why the country opted for populism in the 2001 general election. It shows that absolute poverty was responsible for the rise of Thaksin"s populism. In more detail, the so-called Thaksin fever was strongly correlated to the region"s post-crisis poverty level, excepting the southern region. This study also tentatively concludes that, even though political variables such as political deinstitutionalization do not explain the establishment of a populist government, they still may explain its absence.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 1. INTRODUCTION
  2. LANDSLIDE VICTORY OF POPULISM: THE 2001 GENERAL ELECTION
  3. NEOLIBERALISM VERSUS POPULISM: CONTENDING POLICY PACKAGES
  4. POLITICAL EXPLANATION FOR POPULISM
  5. ECONOMIC EXPLANATION FOR POPULISM
  6. CONCLUSIONS
  REFERENCES