Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Thai economic revival at stake in poll
Oped, Pavida Pananond, Published on 11/05/2023
» As voters go to the poll this Sunday, everything that matters for the people of this country is on the line, from structural reforms of political institutions and a constitutional rewrite to welfare policies to address income inequality.
Oligarchical market control isn't healthy
Oped, Pavida Pananond, Published on 02/12/2022
» On the face of it, the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha seems to be saying the right things about sustainable and inclusive growth. The prime minister himself has been touting a Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model for Thailand, pitching it as the overarching theme of the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting. Yet, the political economy hidden underneath Gen Prayut's lofty rhetoric is becoming more short-term and exclusive, allowing wealth to be concentrated in fewer hands, giving a handful of conglomerates oligarchical control over the market.
Mega-merger risks Thai digital future
Oped, Pavida Pananond, Published on 26/11/2021
» The Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group is on the move again to swell further in size, weight and power over the market. Having recently acquired Tesco's operations when the British retailer sold out and exited Thailand and Malaysia, CP is now aiming to consolidate its grip on the telecommunications industry in a planned merger between its True Corporation and Total Access Communications (DTAC), the local subsidiary of Norway's Telenor. If successful, the merger would reduce Thailand's major telecom players from three to two and further concentrate market dominance over the telecom market to the detriment of consumer choice and welfare.
Minimising risks of vaccine inequality
Oped, Pavida Pananond, Published on 22/04/2021
» That Thailand is in the midst of a fast-spreading third wave of Covid-19 infections while public vaccine procurement and rollout remain uncertain is indisputable, despite the government's reassurances otherwise.
Finding a place for Thailand's SMEs
News, Pavida Pananond, Published on 23/08/2019
» Thailand's economy appears both odd and contradictory. On one hand, it continues to expand in the 3% range, an appealing growth trend by international standards. On the other hand, cursory and anecdotal evidence suggests the Thai economy is mired in a prolonged malaise.
Managing global adversity after poll
News, Pavida Pananond, Published on 01/02/2019
» Discounting its disrupted precursor in 2014, the imminent first poll in nearly eight years has put the country's political future on the line.
How US-China trade impacts Thailand
News, Pavida Pananond, Published on 14/09/2018
» Perhaps the most apt saying to apply to the so-called "trade war" between the United States and China is "when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers".
What a trade war means for Southeast Asia
News, Pavida Pananond, Published on 17/08/2018
» Although it's still early days in the so-called "trade war" between the United States and China, its knock-on effects are already palpable. Both sides have accused each other of unfair trade practices, and both have imposed a series of tit-for-tat tariffs and other protectionist measures that could lead to a runaway retaliatory logic and spiral beyond anyone's control.
Global investment risk levels on rise
News, Pavida Pananond, Published on 18/01/2018
» Amid growing confidence of a global economic rebound and better domestic growth prospects, the 2018 investment outlook should not ignore downside factors that could hinder the long-run growth momentum. Structural challenges from policy uncertainties among the world's economic superpowers and saturating trade and investment flows through global value chains may cast more shadows over the local and global economy than the recovering numbers reveal.