Chapter 11 Managing performance in a context of political clientelism: The case of Thailand

Abstract

In this chapter, we describe the formal features of recent reforms in Thailand's public administration. While it remains premature to attempt definitive assessments of the impact of those reforms, we deduce grounds for concern. In particular, we suggest that successful public management reforms must rest on a reasonable degree of congruence between the reforms' implicit assumptions on the one hand and Thai political and social conditions on the other. And we suggest that such a match is not evident in the case of Thailand's most recent administrative reforms.

Citation

Punyaratabandhu, S. and Unger, D.H. (2009), "Chapter 11 Managing performance in a context of political clientelism: The case of Thailand", Wescott, C., Bowornwathana, B. and Jones, L.R. (Ed.) The Many Faces of Public Management Reform in the Asia-Pacific Region (Research in Public Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 18), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 279-306. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0732-1317(2009)0000018013