Political Change in Thailand: Democracy and Participation (Politics in Asia Series)

This book provides an assessment of approaches to studying Thai politics, the various forces reshaping the forms of political activity and their roles in the fluid contemporary political environment. This volume will be of particular interest to those who require an understanding of the complex and rapidly changing political realities of contemporary Thailand. Political Change in Thailand will be of particular interest to those who require an understanding of the complex and rapidly changing political realities of contemporary Thailand. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Notes on contributors......Page 8 Foreword......Page 11 Preface and a note on the text......Page 13 List of abbreviations......Page 15 Introduction: Power, oppositions and democratisation......Page 18 Power in transition: Thailand in the 1990s......Page 38 Old soldiers never die, they are just bypassed: The military, bureaucracy and globalisation......Page 59 The monarchy and democratisation......Page 75 Withering centre, flourishing margins: Buddhism's changing political roles......Page 92 More of the same? Politics and business, 1987 96......Page 111 Thailand's political parties: Real, authentic and actual......Page 131 Electoral politics: Commercialisation and exclusion......Page 149 Local bureaucrats, power and participation: A study of two village schools in the Northeast......Page 166 Locating working-class power......Page 180 The politics of environment: Opposition and legitimacy......Page 196 Non-governmental development organisations: Empowerment and environment......Page 212 Thailand's media: Whose watchdog?......Page 234 The Thai medical profession and political activism......Page 250 The changing role of provincial business in the Thai political economy......Page 268 Notes......Page 282 References......Page 291 Index......Page 309 Annotation IPolitical Change in Thailand provides an assessment of approaches to studying Thai politics, the various forces reshaping the forms of political activity and their roles in the fluid contemporary political environment. It provides a survey of the more enduring and powerful institutions such as the military, bureacracy and religion, and includes an assessment of the important but seldom scrutinized monarchy and its role in democratization. This title available in eBook format. Click here for more information. Visit our eBookstore at: www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk