Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Rethinking local flood management
News, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 12/12/2025
» As global temperatures rise, extreme rainfall and severe flooding are happening around the world. The science is clear; with every 1 degree Celsius increase, the atmosphere will hold 7% more water vapour. This may explain why storms are more intense as the world warms.
The effects of unfinished momentum
News, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 08/11/2025
» Why do some nations surge confidently into the future while others advance only in half-steps, not declining but not accelerating either? In their influential book Why Nations Fail (first published in 2012), Daron Acemoglu -- now a Nobel Prize economist -- and James Robinson, both economists and political scientists at the University of Chicago, offer a helpful lens for understanding Thailand's development path without casting blame or provoking division.
Provincial Administration Organisation polls a gamechanger for Thais?
Oped, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 16/01/2025
» On Feb 1, Provincial Administration Organisation (PAO) elections will be held in 47 out of 77 provinces. Late last year, there were elections in 29 provinces, where the PAO presidents resigned before their terms ended.
Harnessing Thailand's human capital
News, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 28/06/2024
» Thailand is currently on a distressing trajectory towards depopulation, with the number of deaths each year surpassing the number of births. The latest available data from the Department of Provincial Administration paints a grim picture, showing over 48,000 more deaths than births last year. This number is set to escalate as the number of births continues to plummet and death rates surge. Should the current trend persist, by 2083, Thailand's population is projected to shrink by half to 33 million. The leading cause of this demographic dynamic is the decline in fertility rates among Thai women. These declining fertility rates have severe repercussions and thus warrant the attention and actions of national leaders.
Progress through decentralisation
Oped, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 30/05/2023
» The results of the latest general election have indicated a clear direction that most citizens would like the country to go. However, because of the entrenched power structure, the effort by a coalition of opposition parties to form a new government that could radically transform Thailand may be futile. The first reason is the Election Commission's scrutiny of the claims that Mr Pita Limjaroenrat, the Move Forward Party's leader, owns ITV shares. Second, he may be unable to garner the needed 376 votes from the Senate and parliament. Finally, will the dispute over the House speaker position affect the coalition?
Less local control a threat to Thai democracy
Oped, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 19/11/2021
» After an almost seven-year suspension, Thailand held its first local elections for chief executive officers (CEO) and council members of provincial administrative organisations (PAO) on Dec 20, 2020, followed by the election of mayors and city council members on March 28 of this year.
Where did we go wrong in the battle against Covid?
Oped, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 04/08/2021
» In January, a mere seven months ago, I and two of faculty members at the College of Local Administration, Khon Kaen University, co-authored a paper titled, "Locally-Driven Action in Pandemic Control: A Case of Khon Kaen Province". This article presented the results of a study that examined the local action taken in Covid-19 control and prevention measures in Khon Kaen. At that time, Thailand was among the leading nations in the world in Covid control.
Planting the seeds of development
Oped, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 03/02/2021
» Economic development in Thailand has not just been a responsibility of the central government, but its exclusive domain. Thus, the management inventiveness and fiscal autonomy of local governments for this function are often shackled by the rules, regulations and orders from the bureaucrats within the central government agencies or by those at the provincial level.
PAO polls: An illusion of democracy?
Oped, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa, Published on 24/12/2020
» Last Sunday, Thailand had a long-overdue election of the chairs and council members of all Provincial Administration Organisations (PAO). Are these elections really meaningful?