Thailand Social Monitor, January 1999

Thailand Social Monitor: Challenge for Social Reform
January 1999

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Preface

The crisis in Thailand, as in other East Asian nations, has led to many severe, unforeseen
and sudden impacts, not only in the financial and corporate sectors but also more broadly
in society, with many households enduring losses of wages, jobs, and opportunities.
Faced with mounting social impacts, the response of the Government and its civil society
partners has been both substantial and innovative.

The Regional Conference on Social Issues Arising from the East Asian Crisis (Bangkok, Jan. 21-22, 1999) presents an opportunity for the countries of East Asia and the donor community to share perspectives and learn from each other. The World Bank’s Thailand Office has prepared this inaugural issue of the Thailand Social Monitor as part of the background information for conference participants and for others interested in the topic.

This first issue of the Thailand Social Monitor presents a framework (based on the World Bank’s East Asia: The Road to Recovery, 1998) for addressing social issues, and within that framework, summarizes the unfolding of the crisis in the social domain. The theme of this issue of the Social Monitor is how Thailand has seized the crisis as an opportunity for accelerating the social reform agenda. This agenda combines familiar social reform issues, such as job creation, social security, and employment services, but it also contains what we see as a unique Thai approach to addressing long-term social problems through investing in the development of local capacities, social capital and community self-reliance.

Future issues of the Social Monitor will attempt to present the results of ongoing analysis, assessments and surveys while examining selected topics within the overall social policy framework. An important focus will be the equity dimensions of the crisis, that is, the impacts on the poor and their access to safety net benefits.

The social aspects of the crisis are inherently complex and difficult to summarize in a single, brief document. Reliable data is rare, and there is disagreement on the interpretation of the available information. Rather than impose outside views on these issues, we have indicated the differing interpretations where appropriate.

We are grateful for sources and advice from many people and organizations, within the Thai Government, and outside of government in academia, civil society and of course from other donor agencies active in Thailand. Any shortcomings of this first Social Monitor are, however, completely our own.

J. Shivakumar
Thailand Country Director
The World Bank