Importing Governance into the Thai Polity: Competing Hybrids and Reform Consequences

Abstract

The author argues that the import of the idea of “governance” into the Thai polity has resulted in several competing interpretations. The body of knowledge on governance in Thailand is not yet well-developed. Chaos and contradictions are characteristics of the field of study. First, the author explains the six interpretations of governance: the new democracy or democratic governance, good governance, the efficiency perspective, the Ten Guiding Principles for the King, the Thaksin system, and the ethical issue interpretation. Second, the author discusses the four reform consequences arisen from the import of governance: the difficulty in determining which is the correct prototype of governance; the problem from cloning deformed hybrids; the confrontation among competing hybrids; and the appropriate level of analysis for the concept of governance.