How Innovation Works, written by Matt Ridley, came out in 2020 — four years ago, and so it might strike you as strange indeed for me to suddenly write up my thoughts on this book. But it is one of the most popular titles published in recent years on the topic of innovation. And having…

In May, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha marked nine years in power. In Thai politics, this is a remarkably long tenure, exceeding even Prem Tinsulanonda’s eight-year rule in 1980s; not since Thanom Kittikachorn’s tenure from 1963 to 1973 has any leader been in office for over nine years.  Given such an extended period of rule — with…

In 2016, writing in the Thammasat Economic Journal, Emory University professor Richard Doner described in just a few sentences the problems that plague Thailand’s economy.  Thailand had been “quick on its feet,” Doner wrote, successfully reducing poverty and achieving middle-income status. But too reliant on cheap labor and exports, Thailand’s growth soon stagnated. Quoting Somkiat…

On July 8th, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha released a video on his Facebook page entitled “A Three-Pronged Strategy to Build the Future.” The prime minister, tieless and standing at an angle, looked more relaxed than in his usual speeches. Given that he last posted a video on his page one year ago, this content certainly…

Today is my last day as a researcher at the Thailand Development Research Institute, and I wanted to write up some of my thoughts to wrap up my time here. The year that I spent at TDRI has also been very impactful in shaping how I approach the problems that face Thailand. In particular, I…