article

The Thai countryside in the 1990s

Southeast Asian Affairs 1994 • Singapore • Published In 1994 • Pages: 320-334

By: Hirsch, Philip.

Abstract

In this article, Hirsch examines the growing gap between Thailand's urban and rural populations in spite of the government's 'rural participation' policy. The improvement of the country's physical infrastructure, including roads and electricity, has tied the rural sectors more closely to urban and international markets. A policy of export-oriented industrialization and an expanding agribusiness sector have brought some prosperity to the countryside, although rural standards of living still lag behind those of urban areas. However, the increasing cost of agricultural inputs has impoverished some farmers, who have migrated and squatted in government forest preserves. Rural administrators are still appointed by a centralized government, which together with environmental degradation and growing competition for land and water between towns and cities has influenced rural social movements that have demanded the democratization of local government and more local say in policy matters.

HRAF PubDate

2000

Region

Asia

Sub Region

Southeast Asia

Document Type

article

Evaluation

Creator Type

Geographer

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Ian Skoggard ; 1998

Field Date

not specified

Coverage Date

1960-1993

Coverage Place

Thailand

Notes

Philip Hirsch

Includes bibliographical references

LCCN

74940335

LCSH

Thais