Showing 1 - 10 of 17
Financing FY 2026 deficit will fall short
News, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 12/06/2025
» My message is short, loud and clear. There will not be enough money to finance FY 2026's 860 billion baht budget deficit. Without enough money, the budget will collapse and take the economy down with it. The government is learning the bitter lesson of drying up finance sources now, but budget financing will be in crisis in the 2026 fiscal year.
Mobile operators need competition
News, Peter Cramton & Erik Bohlin, Published on 31/03/2025
» Thailand's mobile communications market has two service providers with an equal share of customers. In economic terms, it is a symmetric duopoly. This is the worst market structure because the two can easily discipline each other to limit competition: "I'll match any lower price you set; I'll limit 5G and 6G investment if you do." This reciprocity limits competition in price and quality, which helps the carriers' shareholders but harms consumers, especially in the long run, through slower innovation in a critical infrastructure industry.
OTOP rejig overdue
News, Editorial, Published on 18/11/2024
» Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra recently addressed a gathering in Udon Thani, where he revealed plans for an overhaul of the One Tambon One Product (OTOP) project.
Getting to root of the term 'food waste'
Oped, Benjamas Chotthong, Published on 14/09/2024
» The global community has recognised "food waste" as a significant issue and has included it as part of Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) on sustainable production and consumption. One target of SDG 12 aims to halve global food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030.
BoT is absolutely right in holding rates
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 22/02/2024
» The whole country -- the government, its economic agencies, private economic research houses, the private sector, and academics -- is accusing the Bank of Thailand (BoT) of being stubborn for refusing to lower interest rates to support the weak economy, aka, the economy in crisis.
Fashion's plastics problem isn't about packaging
News, David Fickling, Published on 03/01/2024
» Until the rise of online retail, you might have been forgiven for thinking that all apparel was shipped in burlap sacks. Those wanting their garment spending to be sustainable these days can take comfort in reusable wooden hangers, paper shopping bags, and recycled fibres. The only glimpse of plastic in many fashion stores is the electronic equipment at the checkout.
Charting China's decline, at a slow pace
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 11/12/2023
» For several years now, I have had a file on my computer named "China -- has the moment arrived?" But I think I missed the moment -- or rather I forgot that these things aren't a moment, they're a process.
Soft power charms, with a Thai ripple
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 04/12/2023
» The term "soft power" has seeped into international relations and it is now a catchphrase with its own global momentum. Yet it should be recalled that in the 1980s, it was used to describe the nature of a weaker state confronted by the "hard power" embodied by a stronger state.
China and its self-inflicted economic woes
Oped, Takatoshi Ito, Published on 02/12/2023
» At their recent summit in San Francisco, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping made progress in a few key areas. Notably, they agreed to resume direct military-to-military communications in order to reduce the chances of accidental conflict. But neither leader was negotiating from a particularly strong position: as Mr Biden struggles with low approval ratings, Mr Xi is overseeing a rapidly weakening economy.
Lose the gun scheme
Oped, Postbag, Published on 07/10/2023
» Re: "Stamping out gun crime", (Editorial, Oct 5).