Bureaucracy in Thailand is hampering reforms
Thailand continues to struggle with a cumbersome, centralized and expensive government apparatus, while countries worldwide are dismantling their bureaucracy. Despite previous reform attempts, the influence of civil servants is growing, while public service delivery and efficiency are lagging behind. Local governments have little autonomy, and investors are being put off by slow procedures. New legislative proposals should bring about change, but as long as power and political interests prevail, structural reform will not happen.
Countries are massively reforming their governments
In the United States, former President Donald Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), overseen by Elon Musk. The agency aims to drastically reduce the number of federal employees. Employees must justify their work by email to demonstrate their added value.
The United Kingdom is also downsizing. It wants to cut 2030 government jobs by 10.000. By using artificial intelligence, it expects to save some 87 billion baht in government costs.
Vietnam recently announced it would reduce its civil service by 100.000, from the current 2 million. The goal: to eliminate redundant layers and streamline service delivery.
Thailand clings to sluggish civil service
According to Dr. Olarn Thinbangtieo, deputy dean at Burapha University, Thailand is lagging behind, not enjoying the economic benefits of a smaller, more agile government.
'Without reform we will face growing trade problems', he warns. Foreign investors are put off if simple procedures take months. Slow decision-making also creates room for corruption and bureaucratic passivity.
According to Olarn, Thailand's bureaucratic red tape also attracts dubious investors who profit from the lack of transparency. At the same time, those in power profit from the status quo.
'Provincial governors are more concerned with receiving the minister than with public services,' he states.
Official performance does not match citizen interests
Assistant Professor Dr. Nuttakorn Vititanon of Chiang Mai University points to the use of outdated performance indicators within government. These mainly measure internal efficiency, but do not take into account what citizens actually need from public services.
High cost, poor performance
Thailand has over three million people in the public sector, including state-owned enterprises. In the current budget year, wage costs amount to over 800 billion baht. The Ministry of Education alone receives over 210 billion for the salaries of teachers and support staff.
However, the quality of education continues to lag behind, as shown by international comparisons such as PISA.
According to the 101 Public Policy Think Tank, the Thai government’s total human resources budget (including hidden costs) in 2022 was 42 percent of total government expenditure, more than twice the international average of 19,4 percent.
At the same time, the effectiveness of the Thai government is lagging behind. The World Bank consistently rates Thailand below 60 percent, meaning it is performing worse than at least 40 percent of the world's countries.
Power struggle hinders decentralization
The 1997 constitution (known as the People's Charter) laid the foundation for reform. Under the Thaksin government, ministries were merged and power was decentralized to local governments.
But that trend reversed. As local organizations gained influence, central officials and governors felt threatened. Attempts at recentralization through village chiefs and local government levels soon followed.
'Power has since been gradually withdrawn,' says Olarn. The military juntas of recent years have further limited the independence of local governments. According to him, independence has decreased by about 50 percent.
An illustrative example is Pattaya: formally a special administrative region, but in practice divided into more than a hundred local governments. This fragmentation leads to administrative chaos.
The Public Sector Development Agency has been advocating for reform since 2002. Yet real progress has not been made.
A 2006 law requires the central government to distribute 35 percent of its revenues to local governments. In reality, that percentage has never exceeded 2015 percent between 2021 and 30.
Phuket, a province that generates a lot of tax revenue from tourism, must first hand over its income to the central government. Only later does it receive a portion back through an allocation, often too late to effectively invest in infrastructure.
'The current structure gives those in power too much negotiating power. They have no interest in change,' says Nuttakorn.
'Too many rules, too little space'
According to Olarn, the core of the problem is a government that functions from top-down control, based on rules, hierarchy and retention of power. He advocates a fundamental reform in which the government puts citizens at the center and works more efficiently.
'We need to get rid of top-down management and focus on collaboration,' he says. Local governments should be given more say and resources to provide solutions themselves.
Cautious steps towards reform
According to Onfa Vejjajiva, Secretary General of the Public Sector Development Agency, three bills are currently being prepared:
- Simplification of procedures
Permits and public services must be processed faster and more easily. - Faster reorganization
An executive decree — rather than a change in the law — should make it possible to abolish inefficient or redundant departments. - Looking ahead with collaboration
Sandbox initiatives should allow for innovation, involving the private sector and civil society.
Political will remains a crucial factor
The coming years will show whether these reforms are more than just paper plans. As long as political interests outweigh public service, an effective and transparent government in Thailand will remain out of reach for the time being.
Source: ThaiPBS – https://world.thaipbs.or.th/detail/thailands-bureaucratic-burden-exposed-as-world-governments-streamline/56981
The population that has the say in Thailand maintains corruption. So we should not expect that political will for reform in the coming decades. Unless you look at it through rose-colored glasses (in other words, you yourself are not that affected by it (as a walking ATM for example).
in fact, they not only maintain it but live gloriously from it. Do little and become filthy rich.
Hans H
It can be done differently: the article mentions ฿800.000.000.000 in civil servant salary costs. Education gets ฿210.000.000.000 in salary costs. And that's without even mentioning the other ministries. But it's all much more expensive. Because at the front of the counter people sit for hours and hours waiting for their papers to be handed in, entered, signed, stamped and finally handed back. What do you think: an enormous loss of productivity, and for many the loss of a day's wages. If you want to show as a senior staff that you control and manage the junior staff, this working method will not be abandoned quickly. What I am typing here has also been noted by the professor in question, but his alternative "a fundamental reform in which the government puts citizens first and works more efficiently" will not be heard.
Good article, it can make us forget all those previously optimistic ideas about how Thailand is developing (blah-blah-blah).
Thailand is on a path of 'heavy weather', does not recognize it, too stubborn in ..'This is the way we do things'…, and continues on the non-contiguous path with global changes.
Freedom, happiness, for Power-Nothing and conservative outdated political thinking.
Have we improved so much worldwide because of all the changes in the past decades? More stress, shorter fuses, dissatisfaction about everything and anything. Isn't that why most expats "flee" their countries because in Thailand everything is still relaxed and regulated! I Love this country and their wonderful people as it is.
'Escaped' because in Thailand, everything is still unconstrained (Thailand is a semi-junta with a very oppressive class society) and regulated (so according to the rules, you mean, while in Thailand nothing is legally clearly regulated (subject to rules)? I thought earlier that most expats and pensioners live there for the (paid?) 'love of their life'. It is a country of many illusions, also for the latter...