Extreme inequalities in income,wealth and power lie behind Thailand’s political turmoil. What are the sources of this inequality? Why does it persist, or even increase when the economy grows? How can it be addressed? The contributors to this important study—Thai scholars, reformers and civil servants—shed light on the many dimensions of inequality in Thailand, looking beyond simple income measures to consider land ownership, education, finance, business structures and politics. The contributors propose a series of reforms in taxation, spending and institutional reform that can address growing inequality. Inequality is among the biggest threats to social stability in Southeast Asia, and this close study of a key Southeast Asian country will be relevant to regional policy-makers, economists and business decision-makers, as well as students of oligarchy and inequality more generally.

Two reports together: (1) Poverty, Growth, and Inequality in Thailand, by Anil B. Deolalikar: explores the impact of economic growth as well as changes in income inequality on poverty reduction using provincial data from Thailand over the period 1992-1999. (2) Why Has Income Inequality in Thailand Increased?: An Analysis Using 1975-1998 Surveys, by Taizo Motonoshi: the effects of agricultural factors and other sectoral factors are stressed.

The Lisu people, whose lives have been recorded in this publication, are predominantly women of a mountain community in northern Thailand. Along with their men, they have been growing poppies for opium for over a century, the sales of which have been sustained their non-authoritarian society and its implied repute ideology. While living with them for several years, the author observed how newly introduced substitute crops involving a change in production and trade relations had upset the previously egalitarian basis of female and male worth, as exemplified in the metaphor of elephant and dog. The modified gender system in which the Lisu female has become an underdog is described against the backdrop of conventional ideas regarding the cosmic forces, the division of labour, bridewealth and marriage.

Income inequality is one of the most profound social, economic, and political challenges of our time. The gap between the rich and the poor has been regarded as a major concern for policy makers. This gap is at its highest level in decades for developed economies, while the inequality trend has been rising in many developing countries. In Asia, despite recent economic growth, income distribution has been worsening as well. This book contributes to the existing literature on inequality in Asia by focusing on three broad themes, corresponding to three parts of the volume. Part I offers an overview of inequality in Asia, Part II focuses on the drivers of rising inequality in Asia, and Part III presents country case studies.