Research Activities
Research Projects 2023
Rise of a new Public-Private Relation in the Economic Nationalism after the Thai Constitutional Revolution
Outline
This study focuses on the rise of new Public-Private relations in the Thai nationalist policies during 1933 to 1948 that aimed to create "the Thai economy for Thai nationals," after the Constitutional Revolution. By tracing the historical documents on the economic nationalist policy making,, this study tries to illuminate the formation process of interdependent relations between the "People's Party" bureaucrats as advocators of the Revolution and the Sino-Thai entrepreneurs. Through formation of this network between bureaucrats and the Sino-Thai entrepreneurs during the "People's Party" government and the Phibun government (Dec.1938 to July 1944), many semi-public and semi-private economic organizations and economic policy committees were established, and these organizations helped to continue the economic nationalist policies even in the politically unstable circumstances and became a mold of the bureaucratic networks to sustain the Thai authoritarian regimes afterwards.
In previous studies of "the Bureaucratic Polity"by Riggs and "the Racial Division of Labor"by Skinner, these Sino-Thai entrepreneurs are often characterized as “pariah entrepreneurs,” who got persecuted as aliens and were politically vulnerable under the Thai nationalist policies regulated by the Thai bureaucratic elite. In fact, most of the wealthy Chinese families whose business had been sustained by the Royals had become estranged with the People's `Party immediately after the Constitutional Revolution. However, some of the Sino-Thai entrepreneurs began to take part in initiating and handling the economic policies of the People’s Party and involved in setting up some national public companies with the People's Party members.In this process, some new Public-Private relations after the Constitutional Revolution must have been emerged, and it is important to fill in this blank of historical explanations in the 1940's economic nationalism.
Based on these backgrounds, this study will take up the case of the entrepreneurs in the Siamese Chamber of Commerce and their networks with the elite bureaucrats regarding the economic nationalism policies as a focal point of analysis. This group of entrepreneurs continuously exercised influence over implementation of the nationalist policies even in the turbulent politics during 1933 to48 and they sustained the People's Party's regime and its legitimacy.
Period
April 2022 - March 2024
Members
| Role | Member |
|---|---|
| [ Organizer ] | Funatsu, Tsuruyo |
Expected Outcome
- The Ajia Keizai