Between 1984 and 1994 Thailand had the most rapid economic expansion in the world. This 1998 book offers an explanation of this successful record of economic growth in Thailand, and in Southeast Asia more generally. The book explains why Thai leaders adopted a market-driven strategy from the late 1950s, and also shows how the overseas Chinese in Thailand built on their community's social capital to overcome the market failures common to all developing countries. Unger takes an interdisciplinary approach, building on the literatures of social capital and embedded autonomy. He considers the unique organization of Thai society, and the impact this has had on the country's institutions, and their political and economic outcomes. The book includes detailed analysis of the financial and textile sectors, as well as the development of heavy industries and transportation infrastructure.

This fascinating study explores how face functions as social capital for leaders in Thai society. It examines the anatomy of Thai face, ways to gain and lose face, patron-client dynamics, and the sources and paradigms of power. Ethnographic research gives voice to Thai leaders as they describe face behaviors and the flow of power in their society. The author compellingly reveals an indigenous but little-used pathway to virtuous leadership that empowers both leaders and followers, to the benefit of all. Written with academic rigor in a popular style, this book presents insights that are crucial to understanding and building strategic relationships in Thai society. Highlights • An insider’s account of Thai leadership based on sound ethnographic research • Examines the significance of face in Thai society • Reveals the pathways to power in the Thai context • Explores the relationship of Thai leaders and their followers • Identifies the qualities of virtuous leadership

The chapters in this volume explore the challenges and opportunities raised by this concept for researchers, practitioners and teachers. Social Capital and Economic Development is based upon a consistent, policy-based vision of how social capital affects well-being in developing countries.

Given the current global economic crisis that has its root causes in the psychology of the marketplace every bit as much as any other factor, the Handbook of Social Capital is timely, insightful, informed, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking reading. . . A compilation of impressive and extensive scholarship, the Handbook of Social Capital is strongly recommended for academic and professional library reference collections. Library Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review The Handbook of Social Capital offers an important contribution to the study of bonding and bridging social capital networks, balancing the troika of sociology, political science and economics. Eminent contributors, including Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom, explore the different scientific approaches required if international research is to embrace both the bright and the more shadowy aspects of social capital. The Handbook stresses the importance of trust for economies all over the world and contains a strong advocacy for cross-disciplinary work within the social sciences. Social capital is becoming one of the most important and hotly discussed topics of today. This inter-disciplinary Handbook intends to serve as a bridge for students and scholars across the social sciences.

This study explores how face functions as social capital for leaders in Thai society.

The purpose of this volume is to highlight the impacts on civic engagement of social capital, and its various component parts (trust, norms, networks and associations), in diverse parts of Asia. Addressing the pressing need for improved governance within the spatial, political and cultural realities in the rapidly transforming landscapes of Asia, the contributors to the book bring together interdisciplinary work that focuses on the ways in which civic engagement can link with social capital building. The goal of this volume is to inspire policy that recognizes that a vibrant society with access to rich stores of positive social capital requires civil society, alternate civilities and the state. The result is a dialogue on the interplay of social capital and civic engagement in socio-political contexts quite different from those found in the West. This book contributes to current discussions about the nature of social relations and their connection to politics and change and offers a unique lens into the validity of these important concepts in contemporary research across a variety of Asian settings. It will be of interest to social scientists across the board, especially those with an interest in Asia and Asian development.

The idea of Social Capital is an attempt to incorporate social considerations into mainstream economic thinking. Its proponents feel that social factors are properly quantifiable. So, they use the compex algebra and statistics beloved of mainstream economic theory and measure 'units' of health care or education in the same way that they would machinery or transport. Ben Fine's main argument in this book is that such concers cannot be judged in terms of mathematical methods and that to try t odo so is overly simplistic. Fine assesses the impact of Social Impact across the social sciences and shows how economic analysis is being subsumed into these areas and how thinking in sociology and politics impacts upon economics.