Capture, Corruption and Cronyism – The Case of Telecommunications in the Kingdom of Thailand
25 Pages Posted: 24 Oct 2011
Date Written: October 23, 2011
Abstract
Telecommunications in Thailand have been shaped by Thaksin Shinawatra as CEO of the largest mobile operator. Unlike Indonesia where there was bribery and nepotism, Thaksin created a unique form of governance eliminating politicians as intermediaries becoming both patron and client, creating his own political party and winning two elections. Five years after he sold his business to Singapore and was consequently deposed by the military, the complexities of the system he created proved too difficult to resolve, leaving overly concentrated markets, legal and commercial uncertainties, made worse by the political instability still reverberating from the disruptions he caused.
Keywords: Asia, Thailand, Telecommunications, Cronyism, Thaksin, Governance
JEL Classification: l96, R38, F23, F43, H11, K10, K42, l16, l33, l51, M14
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation