Showing 1 - 10 of 176
Adam Smith and the moral economy we have lost
Oped, Antara Haldar, Published on 12/11/2025
» With the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations approaching next year, the world is gearing up to honour Adam Smith. But which Smith should be recognised? The hard-nosed "founding father" of modern economics, or the philosopher who wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments? Scholars have wrestled with this question, a riddle known as "Das Adam Smith Problem", for centuries, because it concerns not just dualities within Smith's thought, but also our own uneasy relationship with morality and markets.
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.
Rethinking identity from the start
Oped, Watcharin Ariyaprakai, Published on 29/10/2025
» Thailand has made history by recognising same-sex marriage, affirming the right of adults to love and marry freely. This will rightly be celebrated as a triumph for equality and human dignity. Yet, in the same society, another group remains voiceless: newborns born with Disorders of Sex Development (DSD).
Trump returns to Asean with a bang
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 28/10/2025
» The Asean chair, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, said it all. Acknowledging US President Donald Trump's presence during the signing ceremony on Thailand-Cambodia relations on Sunday, he stated: "We, of course, admire your tenacity and courage because the world needs leaders who promote peace strongly."
Patients lost in temple scandal
Editorial, Published on 14/09/2025
» For the patients at Wat Phra Bat Namphu, the scandal around its former abbot has revived an old fear: being abandoned all over again.
A Nobel Prize for band-aid peace deals?
Oped, Sally Tyler, Published on 05/09/2025
» The Bangkok Post editors suggested I revisit the topic of Thailand's border conflict since I had written about it for the newspaper earlier this year, and since the conflict was heating up again.
Abbot's dramatic fall from grace
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 01/09/2025
» Faith built his empire. Fraud destroyed it. Luang Por Alongkot's fall from grace leaves Thai Buddhism reeling, demanding long-overdue reform.
Unholy identity crisis
Oped, Editorial, Published on 27/08/2025
» Allegations against Phra Alongkot -- the former abbot of the famous Wat Phrabat Namphu in Lop Buri -- have not only revealed a crisis of faith in Thai Buddhism, but have brought the issues of identity theft and impersonation to the forefront.
Donors must still beware
Oped, Editorial, Published on 21/08/2025
» The Revenue Department's decision to require Buddhist temples to adopt an e-donation system, beginning in January, is a welcome development -- if long overdue.
Hospice funds scandal takes toll
Editorial, Published on 17/08/2025
» In the 1990s, when Aids meant abandonment and death, Wat Phrabat Nam Phu in Lop Buri opened its gates to the sick and dying. Abbot Phra Alongkot Tikkapanyo gave them food, shelter, and care. It was a noble mission in fearful times.