• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  Thai economy out of sync, out of sight?

  Oped, Pavida Pananond, Published on 27/08/2021

  » The changing nature of globalisation, compounded by pandemic-induced disruptions require a rethink of Thailand's place and direction in the global economy. Already hampered by pre-Covid trends of global slowdown in trade and investment, the economy is facing tougher challenges as the pandemic has forced multinational companies to reconsider their supply chain configuration. The changing contours of the global economy on the one hand and ongoing political tensions at home that have delayed much-needed structural reforms on the other are becoming a perfect storm that could blow away Thailand's chances of maintaining its once central role in Southeast Asia's economic dynamism.

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  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".

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  Role flip sees Thailand buy, invest in US

  News, Pavida Pananond, Published on 05/10/2017

  » In the new era of international commerce and diplomacy, role reversals are coming up everywhere.

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