Thailand is a developing country which has seen impressive economic growth over the past 40 years, growth that has provided consistent, but uneven, reductions in absolute poverty. Successive governments have faced the task of alleviating the poverty of life of those left behind in urban slums, often sited alongside luxury tourist and business buildings, and the poor who remain in rural areas. There is no effective social safety net.
Democracy in Thailand is a fragile concept and the military coup in 2006 removed a Government that saw as its mission the inclusion of the poor in a capitalist enterprise, Thai Style, with self-reliance as its aim. This research tracks the development of Thai government policy and examines its effectiveness through the voices of the poorest in Thai society.
This book is aimed at policy makers, practitioners, and researchers in politics, health and welfare, and for those people involved in tourism who are interested in the costs behind the famous welcoming Thai Smile.