I’m broadly interested in the politics of institution-building, branding, and adaptation to the external environment. The main type of institution I focus on is political parties, and I study the building, branding, and breaking of political parties in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand. In my research, I use both qualitative methods, such as comparative historical analysis, and quantitative data from surveys. I’ve described my three major research interests below. For a full list of my publications and commentaries, please see my CV.
The Institutionalization of Political Parties
Institutionalized political parties — i.e. those that are stable across a long period of time and possess an identity independent of help strengthen democracies and improves governing capacity. However, in many developing countries where they are needed most, institutionalized parties are extremely rare. My ongoing dissertation research seeks to explain the conditions under which political parties institutionalize in difficult conditions where the prevalence of patronage politics undermines party-building. I draw on the case of Thailand, where the Democrat Party stands as one of the only institutionalized parties, and contrast the party’s historical trajectory with other political parties which have evolved into the vehicles of local clans or collapse due to an orientation around a singular goal.
Party Branding and Voter Behavior
One key part of building political institutions like parties is ensuring that they attract and retain popularity. My research has been centered around how political parties build and damage their brands, along with how voters interact with political parties in environments where parties are weak. I explore these questions in the context of contemporary Thai politics. I have analyzed the elite-level “grand compromises” in Thai politics and its effects on both voters and parties. trends in urban and rural voter behavior and the phenomenon of ballot splitting. I have also studied the strength of party brands in what can be termed an under-institutionalized party system. I also have ongoing research on the impact of authoritarian collaboration on democratic political parties.
Innovation and Capacity-Building in Middle Income Countries
Aside from my research on political institutions, another line of research that I have been involved in is the political economy of development. I am especially interested in how governments in countries stuck the middle income trap seek to restructure their economies in order to enhance innovation, along with the struggles of developmental states in the modern era. At the Thailand Development Research Institute, I contributed to several projects on Thai innovation policy, including research on public procurement for innovation and the creative industries. I am also interested in education reform in Thailand.
