Thailand's urbanized villagers and political polarization

TY - JOUR

T1 - Thailand's urbanized villagers and political polarization

AU - McCargo, Duncan

PY - 2017/7/3

Y1 - 2017/7/3

N2 - Thailand currently suffers from high levels of political polarization; parties associated with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have won every election since 2001, based partly on strong support from voters registered in the populous North and Northeast regions. Many of these voters are migrant workers who spend much of their time working in Greater Bangkok, yet remain legal residents of their home provinces. This article argues that Thailand’s political polarization could be reduced if many of these “urbanized villagers” either took up formal residence in the capital city, or were encouraged to share in the creation of new small-scale urban communities in their places of birth.

AB - Thailand currently suffers from high levels of political polarization; parties associated with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have won every election since 2001, based partly on strong support from voters registered in the populous North and Northeast regions. Many of these voters are migrant workers who spend much of their time working in Greater Bangkok, yet remain legal residents of their home provinces. This article argues that Thailand’s political polarization could be reduced if many of these “urbanized villagers” either took up formal residence in the capital city, or were encouraged to share in the creation of new small-scale urban communities in their places of birth.

KW - Thailand

KW - polarization

KW - urban

KW - rural

KW - elections

U2 - 10.1080/14672715.2017.1342985

DO - 10.1080/14672715.2017.1342985

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1467-2715

VL - 49

SP - 365

EP - 378

JO - Critical Asian Studies

JF - Critical Asian Studies

IS - 3

ER -