Summary Thai inequality 2020: What we should do - TDRI: Thailand Development Research Institute tdri.or.th
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One Line
TDRI proposes 10 recommendations to address inequality in Thailand, urging immediate action, which include considering distributional impacts, increasing social spending, and promoting fair competition.
Slides
Slide Presentation (15 slides)
Key Points
- Major public policies should take into account their distribution aspects to reduce inequality.
- Comprehensive welfare systems are needed to achieve low inequality, but funding is currently limited.
- Reduce the role of the state in economic production and increase public-private partnerships.
- Curbing monopolies and enforcing competition laws in Thai business.
- Genuine decentralization with accountability and civil participation to ensure redistribution policies.
- Narrowing the quality gaps in education at all levels and holding schools accountable for learning outcomes.
- Sustaining the healthcare system financially and management-wise.
- Pre-emptive measures needed to address the problems of an aging society and lack of retirement preparedness.
Summaries
24 word summary
TDRI proposes 10 recommendations to address inequality in Thailand, including considering distributional impacts, increasing social spending, and promoting fair competition. Immediate action is urged.
72 word summary
The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) proposes ten recommendations for addressing inequality in Thailand. These include considering distributional impacts in major public policies, increasing investment in social and welfare spending, reducing the role of state enterprises, promoting fair competition, implementing fiscal and political decentralization, narrowing education quality gaps, ensuring healthcare sustainability, addressing challenges of an aging society, implementing inclusive technology policy, and changing societal views of the poor. Immediate action is urged.
161 word summary
The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) proposes ten recommendations for addressing inequality in Thailand. Firstly, major public policies should consider their distributional impacts and prioritize social and distributional concerns alongside economic growth. Secondly, increasing investment in social and welfare spending, even without achieving comprehensive welfare systems, is crucial. Thirdly, reducing the role of state enterprises in economic production and promoting public-private partnerships for infrastructure funding would allow more resources for social welfare programs. The author also emphasizes fair competition and curbing monopolies in Thai businesses through the new competition law. Additionally, fiscal and political decentralization with accountability, governance, and civil participation is recommended for more redistributive policies. Narrowing quality gaps in education, ensuring sustainability of the healthcare system, and addressing the challenges of an aging society are also key recommendations. Implementing an inclusive technology policy, promoting direct democracy, and changing societal views of the poor and marginalized are further suggestions. In conclusion, immediate action is urged to tackle inequality in Thailand.
422 word summary
The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) provides ten recommendations for addressing inequality in Thailand. The first recommendation is to ensure that major public policies take into account their distributional impacts. For example, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) should not only prioritize economic growth, but also address social and distributional concerns. Additionally, the state welfare card scheme should be improved to include a larger portion of the truly poor population.
The second recommendation is to increase investment in social and welfare spending. While achieving comprehensive welfare systems like other countries may be a long-term goal, allocating more state budget for social and welfare purposes can be done immediately.
The third recommendation is to reduce the role of state enterprises in economic production and promote public-private partnerships for infrastructure funding. This would allow more resources to be directed towards social welfare programs, such as the Manda Pracharath welfare scheme for pre-school kids.
The author emphasizes the importance of fair competition and curbing monopolies in Thai businesses through the new competition law.
Decentralization is highlighted as the fourth recommendation, which includes fiscal and political decentralization with accountability, governance, and civil participation. This would enable more redistributive policies.
The fifth recommendation is to narrow the quality gaps in education, starting from early childhood. This can be achieved by providing equal care for all pre-school children, merging small schools in remote areas into larger and better schools, and ensuring accountability in the education system.
While progress has been made in reducing inequality in healthcare, the sustainability of the current system needs to be ensured.
The seventh recommendation addresses the challenges of an aging society, particularly for poorer individuals who may be less prepared for retirement. Financial and health literacy programs can help alleviate these issues.
The eighth recommendation is to implement an inclusive technology policy. This involves providing subsidies and technological capital to aid poor people and small firms in using modern technology, as well as using technology to improve the implementation of social services and welfare programs.
The author suggests that direct democracy can help reduce inequality by allowing the poor to vote on specific issues important to their lives.
The last two recommendations focus on changing societal views of the poor and marginalized, promoting empathy and understanding, and striving for a genuine and quality democracy that includes a broader range of voices in policy-making.
In conclusion, the author emphasizes the urgency of addressing inequality in Thailand and urges for immediate action. It is important to tackle these issues now rather than waiting for the future.
440 word summary
In this article from the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), the author discusses ten actions that should be taken to address inequality in Thailand.
The first item on the list is to ensure that major public policies consider their distributional impacts. For example, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) should not only focus on economic growth, but also address social and distributional concerns. Similarly, the state welfare card scheme needs to be improved to include more of the truly poor population.
The second recommendation is to invest more in social and welfare spending. While achieving comprehensive welfare systems like other countries may be a long-term goal, allocating more state budget for social and welfare purposes can be done immediately.
The third item on the list is to reduce the role of state enterprises in economic production and promote public-private partnerships for infrastructure funding. This would allow more resources to be directed towards social welfare programs, such as the Manda Pracharath welfare scheme for pre-school kids.
Next, the author emphasizes the importance of fair competition and curbing monopolies in Thai business through the new competition law.
Decentralization is highlighted as the fourth item, which includes fiscal and political decentralization with accountability, governance, and civil participation. This would enable more redistributive policies.
The fifth recommendation is to narrow the quality gaps in education, starting from early childhood. This can be achieved by providing equal care for all pre-school children, merging small schools in remote areas into larger and better schools, and ensuring accountability in the education system.
Healthcare is identified as an area where Thailand has made progress in reducing inequality, but the sustainability of the current system needs to be ensured.
The seventh item addresses the challenges of an aging society, particularly for poorer individuals who may be less prepared for retirement. Financial and health literacy programs can help alleviate these issues.
An inclusive technology policy is proposed as the eighth action. This involves providing subsidies and technological capital to aid poor people and small firms in using modern technology, as well as using technology to improve the implementation of social services and welfare programs.
The author suggests that direct democracy can help reduce inequality by allowing the poor to vote on specific issues important to their lives.
The last two items on the list focus on changing societal views of the poor and marginalized, promoting empathy and understanding, and striving for a genuine and quality democracy that includes a broader range of voices in policy-making.
In conclusion, the author urges serious action to tackle inequality in Thailand and emphasizes the importance of addressing these issues now rather than in the future.