Showing 41 - 50 of 1,340
The popular decimation of India's democracy
Oped, Pranab Bardhan, Published on 18/05/2024
» India's ongoing parliamentary election, in which nearly a billion people casting their votes over a six-week period, should represent an extraordinary exercise of democracy. The bleak reality, however, is that the election appears poised to consolidate a decade-long process of democratic decay, which has included the decimation of liberal institutions and practices and weakening of political competition. After all, the leader who has presided over this process -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- remains wildly popular.
Climate change poses health threat
Oped, Published on 17/05/2024
» It is widely believed that climate change is the single biggest threat to human health. A global temperature increase of 2C -- a threshold that will likely be exceeded by the end of the century -- could claim as many as one billion lives, with extreme weather events, heatwaves, droughts, flooding, infectious disease outbreaks, and food shortages among the causes of death. But the situation may, in fact, be far worse because the current forecasts fail to account for the inevitable increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Stark reality behind economic figures
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 16/05/2024
» At the time of writing this, the official Q1 GDP has not been announced by the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC). I expect the growth figure will be around 1.2%. My own estimation, using the Output Approach and actual sectoral production index, gives a growth figure of 0.98%. Detailed data are in the below table.
Govt, BoT spat may not be economic
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 09/05/2024
» The row between the government and the Bank of Thailand (BoT) over its "high" interest rate is all over the news. Many have started questioning the appropriateness of the central bank's independence.
Why the economy is heading for a crisis
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 02/05/2024
» I wish I were this good when it comes to picking winning lottery ticket. Just a few days ago, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) lowered its 2024 GDP growth projection from 2.8% to 2.4%, citing blah, blah, blah.
How elections bring about a cycle of devaluation
Oped, Jeffrey Frankel, Published on 01/05/2024
» The proposition that major currency devaluations are more likely to come immediately after, rather than before, an election is being tested anew. In the biggest voting year in history, the implications could be far-reaching.
Burnout rate shows price of success
News, Published on 01/05/2024
» The search for success can be elusive, and possibly nowhere more so than in Singapore, one of the most competitive and overworked places on the planet. Long hours are the norm, a reputation it has built since the island-state gained independence from Malaysia almost 60 years ago and had to carve an identity for itself in an uncertain and scary world.
Bank of Thailand needs to communicate
News, Editorial, Published on 29/04/2024
» Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's decision to meet key figures from Thailand's major commercial banks to discuss the possibility of cutting interest rates last week raised a lot of eyebrows. It was highly unusual for a prime minister to appeal directly to commercial banks to change interest rates, as the nation's financial institutions generally follow the rates prescribed by the Bank of Thailand (BoT).
Health system faces new pressure
News, Published on 29/04/2024
» There is much to celebrate, but there will be many new challenges in Thailand's health care system.
Handout difficult without BoT's help
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 18/04/2024
» The purpose of this article is to educate the public about the real issue of the digital wallet scheme. The issue is not "HOW to get the 500 billion baht?" but "Is there 500 billion baht AVAILABLE to be borrowed?"