The Thailand Economic Monitor consists of two parts. Part 1 reviews recent economic developments, examines the country's macroeconomic outlook, and analyzes the impact of key policy changes.
... See More + Part 2 focuses on a specific subject with critical implications for Thailand's long-term growth prospects. This edition analyzes the power of financial technology (fintech) to support financial inclusion, a key element of the 20-Year National Strategy.
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This paper sheds light on key innovation patterns and constraints within a selected set of developing East Asian countries (Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam).
... See More + It follows a comprehensive approach about national innovation systems while highlighting the supply and demand dimensions of innovation as well as the markets where firms make accumulation decisions for different forms of capital (knowledge capital, human capital. and physical capital). The paper presents a set of empirical exercises drawing from various data sets. The results corroborate the idea of the importance of adopting a broad view of innovation policy and investing in missing complementary factors. Although investment in research and development is key to boost innovation, it is also crucial to have business and regulatory environments that are conducive to overall firm performance and capital accumulation (not only knowledge capital), as they are expected to improve innovation returns. In addition, the results suggest that other innovation inputs aside from research and development matter for innovation activities, such as training for innovative activities, acquisition/licensing of technology, and managerial practices.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS8706 JAN 17, 2019
The outlook for the global economy has darkened amid elevated trade tensions. International trade and investment are moderating, trade tensions remain elevated, and financing conditions are tightening.
... See More + Global growth is projected to moderate from a downwardly revised 3 percent in 2018 to 2.9 percent in 2019 and 2.8 percent in 2020-21, as economic slack dissipates, monetary policy tightens in advanced economies, and global trade gradually slows (World Bank Global Economic Prospects, January 2019). Despite external shocks to trade and tourism, growth of the Thai economy is estimated to have accelerated to 4.1 percent in 2018. The economy proved to be resilient in the face of strong global headwinds due to strengthening domestic demand stemming from an upswing in private consumption and private investment. Domestic consumption expanded by 5 percent in 2018Q3, posting the highest growth rate in 22 quarters in a low-inflation environment and record-low unemployment. In addition, private investment grew by 3.9 percent in the third quarter supported by increased spending on construction, machinery and equipment. Strong domestic demand offset partially adverse global factors—the China-US trade dispute—as well as domestic and idiosyncratic factors—such as the Phuket boat tragedy and the high-base effect of gold exports. The Thai economy also owed its resiliency to strong and stable macroeconomic fundamentals.
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Sixteenth in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 190 economies, Doing Business 2019 covers 11 areas of business regulation.
... See More + Ten of these areas - starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency - are included in the ease of doing business score and ease of doing business ranking. Doing Business also measures features of labor market regulation, which is not included in these two measures. Doing Business provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selected cities at the subnational and regional level. This economy profile presents indicators for Thailand; for 2019 Thailand ranks 27.
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This case study documents how key policies intended to address overweight and obesity in Thailand were designed and implemented, who the key players were, what the challenges were, and how these challenges were addressed.
... See More + It provides an independent synthesis and analysis of key strategy andpolicies on overweight and obesity control and prevention, identifies key delivery challenges and how they were addressed, and provides lessons learned from the process that will not onlysupport the improvement of future policies in Thailand but could also serve other countries that are trying to develop and implement similar policies. This case study examines three policies: Soda ban in schools policy; The ‘Fatless Belly Thais’ (FBT); and Sugar-sweetened beverage(SSB) taxation
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This paper examines the impact of free trade agreement (FTA) use on import prices. For this analysis, it employs establishment-level import data with information on tariff schemes, that is, the FTA and most-favored-nation schemes used for importing.
... See More + Unlike previous studies, this paper estimates the effects of FTA use on prices by controlling for differences in importing-firm characteristics. There are three main findings. First, the effect of FTA use is overestimated when not controlling for importing firm-related fixed effects. Second, on average, firms' FTA use reduces tariffs by 12 percentage points and raises import prices by 3.6-6.7 percent. Third, in general, a price rise resulting from the costs of complying with rules of origin was not found.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS8416 APR 19, 2018
Thailand is widely considered progressive among developing and middle-income countriesregarding the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) people.
... See More + Yet,a growing body of research shows they still experience discrimination, limited job and housingopportunities, and barriers to accessing many common services. Most information on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in Thailand is qualitative in nature. A new study led by the World Bank, in partnership with Thammasat University, Love Frankie, and the Nordic Trust Fund, includes the first endeavor to gather and analyze quantitative data on economic and financial outcomes for a large, statistically significant sample of LGBTI people in Thailand. Qualitative data from in-depth "live story" interviews with 19 SOGI-diverse participants from across each of Thailand's main regions complement the online survey data and provide further insights into the lives of LGBTI respondents. For the first time in Thailand, the study also presents information on non-LGBTI people and their attitudes toward LGBTI groups, based on survey responses from a statistically representative non-LGBTI reference group.
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Thailand is widely considered progressive among developing and middle-income countriesregarding the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) people.
... See More + Yet,a growing body of research shows they still experience discrimination, limited job and housingopportunities, and barriers to accessing many common services. Most information on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in Thailand is qualitative in nature. A new study led by the World Bank, in partnership with Thammasat University, Love Frankie, and the Nordic Trust Fund, includes the first endeavor to gather and analyze quantitative data on economic and financial outcomes for a large, statistically significant sample of LGBTI people in Thailand. Qualitative data from in-depth "live story" interviews with 19 SOGI-diverse participants from across each of Thailand's main regions complement the online survey data and provide further insights into the lives of LGBTI respondents. For the first time in Thailand, the study also presents information on non-LGBTI people and their attitudes toward LGBTI groups, based on survey responses from a statistically representative non-LGBTI reference group.
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Thailand is widely considered progressive among developing and middle-income countriesregarding the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) people.
... See More + Yet,a growing body of research shows they still experience discrimination, limited job and housingopportunities, and barriers to accessing many common services. Most information on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in Thailand is qualitative in nature. A new study led by the World Bank, in partnership with Thammasat University, Love Frankie, and the Nordic Trust Fund, includes the first endeavor to gather and analyze quantitative data on economic and financial outcomes for a large, statistically significant sample of LGBTI people in Thailand. Qualitative data from in-depth "live story" interviews with 19 SOGI-diverse participants from across each of Thailand's main regions complement the online survey data and provide further insights into the lives of LGBTI respondents. For the first time in Thailand, the study also presents information on non-LGBTI people and their attitudes toward LGBTI groups, based on survey responses from a statistically representative non-LGBTI reference group.
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Thailand is widely considered progressive among developing and middle-income countriesregarding the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) people.
... See More + Yet,a growing body of research shows they still experience discrimination, limited job and housingopportunities, and barriers to accessing many common services. Most information on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in Thailand is qualitative in nature. A new study led by the World Bank, in partnership with Thammasat University, Love Frankie, and the Nordic Trust Fund, includes the first endeavor to gather and analyze quantitative data on economic and financial outcomes for a large, statistically significant sample of LGBTI people in Thailand. Qualitative data from in-depth "live story" interviews with 19 SOGI-diverse participants from across each of Thailand's main regions complement the online survey data and provide further insights into the lives of LGBTI respondents. For the first time in Thailand, the study also presents information on non-LGBTI people and their attitudes toward LGBTI groups, based on survey responses from a statistically representative non-LGBTI reference group.
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This note describes briefly how the Piloting Community Approaches in Conflict Situation (CACS) Project currently operates. As a learning activity, the project was designed deliberately to accommodate adjustments in response to lessons emerging from implementation experience.
... See More + This note, the fourth in a series of brief operationally relevant pieces meant to inform a broad range of stakeholders about the design, implementation, and results of the project,reflects operations at the end of the projects first year. In response to a request by the Royal Thai Government to learn from international experience with appropriate and effective approaches to working in conflict-affected areas, the World Bank mobilized grant financing through its State and Peace-Building Fund to first study and then pilot approaches to local development to help mitigate the conflict in Thailands southernmost provinces. The first phase of the two-phase project, conducted in 2007-2008, was comprised of 1) a conflict study to understand and help inform the design of pilot activities, and 2) capacity-building activities to promote peace-building and conflict management. The research, conducted by a consortium of Thai academic institutions, found that community development projects were one of the key tools or means to help build peace and reconciliation. The overall goal of this second phase of the project is thus to develop effective community approaches to local development that create space and opportunity for increased interaction within and among communities and between communities and the state apparatus in an effort to promote trust building in the conflict-affected areas in the provinces of Pattani, Yala,and Narathiwas.
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The World Bank Group conducted face-to-face interviews with top managers and business owners of 1,000 enterprises in Thailand from November 2015 through June 2016.
... See More + The Enterprise Survey (ES) sample is representative of Thailand’s formal private sector. The ES covers several aspects of business environment along with measures of firm performance. The main highlights from the survey are: Thai firms underperform comparator economies in both annual sales and employment growth; female participation in ownership or management of the private sector is higher than in comparator economies; firms’ engagement in trade is lower in Thailand than in comparator economies; and political instability is most frequently cited as the biggest obstacle to private firms’ operations.
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PISA is the OECD's benchmarking tool to assess achievement and application of key knowledge and skills of 15 year-olds. Launched in 2000, PISA is conducted every three years and tests proficiency in mathematics, reading, science, and problem-solving.
... See More + In 2015, 540,000 students completed the assessment, representing 29 million 15-year-olds in the schools of the 72 participating countries and economies.
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Access to finance by the poor is one of the world’s biggest problems. The poor people are in no position to increase their income nor improve the livelihoods of themselves or their families.
... See More + Studies show that poor people in developing countries cannot access the financial market due to lack of information, and contract enforcement problem relating to loan payback. Muslims who form part of the majority of the world’s poor tend to avoid using financial services due to their strict compliance to religion, as interests which are one of the key features of fi nancial services are not shariah-compliant. At present, many Islamic Banks have been established around the world including in Thailand. Thailand’s first Islamic financial institution is the Islamic Co-operative of Pattani Limited (ISCOP) founded in 1987, whereas the Islamic Bank of Thailand (ibank) was established in 2003. Although Islamic financial institutions in Thailand have made great stride in the last decade or so, study into Islamic finance in Thailand is limited. There exists a gap of study into the actual needs for fi nancial services for Muslims who are poor for the purpose of strengthening community enterprise, and into requirements to be eligible to get those services which are important factors in evaluating the ability to access by the poor and small enterprise. This research therefore seeks to examine the demand side on one end and on the other hand, rules, regulations and criteria set by financial institutions in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
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In January 2004, a century-long struggle in Thailand’s southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwas that had been dormant for decades broke into open violence.
... See More + In 2007-2008, the World Bank through the state and peace-building fund (SPF) provided technical assistance to the Royal Thai Government to help understand the conflict and recommend ways to facilitate conflict resolution in these areas. This note, meant to inform a broad range of stakeholders about the design, implementation, and results of the pilot project, is a summary of a longer report entitled gender needs assessment in conflict-affected areas in Thailand’s southernmost provinces. The objectives of the gender needs assessment were to: add value to and complement the SPF-supported conflict study by: (1) providing better understanding of the ways men, and women are affected by the conflict, and (2) determining the needs of men and women directly affected; add to the body of knowledge regarding women, men, and their families affected by the conflict as well as the government’s policies in addressing the conflict; and provide input to the implementation of the piloting community approaches in conflict situation project. The gender needs assessment produced the following key findings from its two parts: a review of gender relevant literature specific to the region, and a report of focus group discussions.
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The conflict in the southernmost provinces of Thailand is characterized by contestation and resistance to acquire political power at sub-national level.
... See More + The vertical conflict between the State and ethnic minority group impacts the conflict within elitist class and the conflict of community or society. When the national leadership supports one particularly segment of local elite to assert political and economic dominance over other elitist group, or vice versa, the conflict within elitist ranks and conflict of community or society can in turn intensify the vertical conflict between State and ethnic groups, as armed elements under the command of local leaders or original leaders react to the State’s use of force to suppress them. This note draws upon findings from a research into the role and experience of Facilitators in implementing Community-Driven Development work in conflict-affected deep south under Expanding Community Approaches in Conflict Situations in the Southernmost Provinces in Thailand (ECACS) project. The study is intended to comprehend issues, identify challenges, and how Facilitators adapt and adjust, as well as identifying key determinants in how Facilitators play their role in such context. The aim is to find ways to enhance and support their ability to do development work that is most appropriate and effective in this setting.
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In response to a request by the Government, the World Bank mobilized grant financing through the State and Peace-Building Fund to first study and then pilot ways to deliver local assistance in Thailand's southern most provinces.
... See More + The Piloting Community Approaches in Conflict from 2009 to 2013, sought to develop culturally appropriate approaches to local development that created opportunities for increased interaction among conflict-affected communities and between communities and the state apparatus through collective action to strengthen the foundation for peace. The project was deliberately designed as a learning activity to test andrene effective local-level approaches that could potentially be mainstreamed in local government operations. This note is one in a series of brief, operationally relevant pieces meant to inform a broad range of stakeholders including government, civil society and international institutions about the design, implementation and results of the project as partnering organizations strive to adapt and adopt the approaches piloted and inform the government's local development efforts. Based on evidence from project progress reports, supervision missions, the projects database, and a qualitative evaluation conducted in March/April 2013, this note presents both an overview of emerging findings from the first phase of the project's Community Block Grant component and their influence on the follow-on Expanding Community Approaches in Conflict Situations (ECACS) project currently being implemented.
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In response to a request by the Government, the World Bank mobilized grant financing through the State and Peace-Building Fund to first study and then pilot ways to deliver local assistance in Thailand's southern most provinces.
... See More + The Piloting Community Approaches in Conflict from 2009 to 2013, sought to develop culturally appropriate approaches to local development that created opportunities for increased interaction among conflict-affected communities and between communities and the state apparatus through collective action to strengthen the foundation for peace. The project was deliberately designed as a learning activity to test andrene effective local-level approaches that could potentially be mainstreamed in local government operations. This note is one in a series of brief, operationally relevant pieces meant to inform a broad range of stakeholders including government, civil society and international institutions about the design, implementation and results of the project as partnering organizations strive to adapt and adopt the approaches piloted and inform the government's local development efforts. Based on evidence from project progress reports, supervision missions, the projects database, and a qualitative evaluation conducted in March/April 2013, this note presents both an overview of emerging findings from the first phase of the project's Community Block Grant component and their influence on the follow-on Expanding Community Approaches in Conflict Situations (ECACS) project currently being implemented.
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The Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) has engaged Dr. Luís Ma. R. Calingo, principal consultant to the Thailand Quality Award (TQA) Program, as theinternational consultant for the World Bank-funded project, ‘strengthening qualityassurance and performance excellence in Thailand’s higher education’ (hereafter referred to as ‘EdPEx’).
... See More + Dr. Calingo’s local counterpart has been OHEC’s Subcommittee on the EdPEx Fast-Track Project (hereafter referred to as the ‘EdPExSubcommittee’), which was involved in the planning, training, group work, and review of lessons learned. To implement this three-year project, OHEC has identified about 30 prospective pilot universities throughout Thailand. After several initial consultations and preparation, the Consultant has accomplished the following as of June 30, 2014: designed, conducted, and continuously improved the EdPEx organizational self-assessment workshop for four cohorts consisting of a total of 26 participating schools from 20 universities; led site visit reviews of Mahidol University, Faculty of Science on 21 December 2012 and Chiang Mai University, Faculty of Medicine on 5 July 2013; conducted Skype videoconferences with all participating schools to guide them in interpreting the EdPEx Criteria and in preparing their Self-Assessment Reports (SARs); conducted face-to-face consultations with the participating schools from Cohorts 1-3 to guide them in interpreting their EdPEx Feedback Reports, in prioritizing their opportunities for improvement, and in refining their self-assessment reports; and provided ongoing consultative advice to OHEC as regards the continuing development of the EdPEx Program.
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The secessionist movement in Thailand’s southernmost provinces is one of the oldest and deadliest sub-national conflicts in Southeast Asia. After more than a decade of dormancy, violence escalated in the early 2000s.
... See More + The ethnic separatist insurgency has since claimed over 6,000 lives, injured almost 11,000 people, and continues to negatively impact the socio-economic and mental health of all residents in the area. Trust and confidence among people and institutions at all levels of society have been eroded. This note is one in a series of brief, operationally relevant pieces meant to inform a broad range of stakeholders – including government, civil society and international institutions - about the design, implementation and results of the project as partnering organizations strive to adapt and adopt the approaches piloted and inform the government’s local development efforts. Based on evidence from several sources, including project progress reports, supervision missions, the project’s database, and a qualitative evaluation conducted in late 2012, this note presents an overview of emerging findings and lessons learned from the first phase of the project’s Peace-Building Partnership Fund grant component, and their influence on the follow-on Expanding Community Approaches in Conflict Situations (ECACS) project currently being implemented.
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