Multi-dimensional Country Reviews are the result of a collaborative effort of the OECD and the country under review. Work on the second phase of the MDCR of Thailand was carried out jointly by the OECD Development Centre, the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities and the OECD Environment Directorate, with excellent support from the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board in Thailand. The review was initiated with an OECD mission to Bangkok in April 2018.
The review was produced under the guidance of Mario Pezzini – Director of the OECD Development Centre. The review was led and coordinated by Jan Rieländer, Head Multidimensional Country Reviews at the Development Centre. It was drafted by Andrea Colombo and Jan Rieländer (OECD Development Centre), Matthew Griffiths (OECD Environment Directorate), Antti Moisio (OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities). Vararat Atisophon provided excellent project management and statistical support. Lisa Danielson (OECD Environment Directorate) and Joshua Polchar (SGE) supported the Foresight workstream. The review also benefited from the contributions made by Kazuki Hao, Chloé Stutzmann, Laura Tran, Nhung Tran (OECD Development Centre) and Yingyin Wu (OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities). Secretarial assistance was provided by Myriam Andrieux (OECD Development Centre).
The team is grateful for insightful contributions and comments provided by Juan De Laiglesia, Nathalia Montoya Gonzalez and Carine Viac (OECD Development Centre), Isabelle Chatry, Dorothée Allain-Dupré, Maria-Varinia Michalun, Ana Moreno Monroy, Oriana Romano, Håkan Tropp and Paolo Veneri (OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities), Martin Wermelinger (OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs), Pauline Musset and Thomas Weko (OECD Education and Skills Directorate), Lisa Danielson, Tatiana Efimova, Kumi Kitamori and Xavier Leflaive (OECD Environment Directorate). Decisive insights came from participants of the workshop “Scenarios for the future of Thailand 2037” held in Bangkok in June 2018: the workshop brought together fifty participants including government officials and representatives of the private sector, civil society and academia to explore internal and external drivers of future change in and for Thailand. The report incorporates remarks made during the review of the report by the Mutual Learning Group for Multi-dimensional Country Reviews (MLG-MDCR) on its meeting held on 24 September 2018. The review was led by Ziyad Abdeslam (Directeur de la Recherche et la Planification de l'Eau, Secrétariat d’Etat chargé de l'Eau, Morocco), António Sampaio Ramos (Head of Regional Policy Unit, delegate to the MLG-MDCR, Portugal), Marco Cerbo and Gabriele Velpi (First Counsellor and Economic Attaché, Italian delegation to the OECD), Dr. Saheum Hong (National Territorial Planning & Regional Research Division, South Korea).
On the side of the Thai government, the review has benefited from the support of Thosaporn Sirisumphand, Secretary General of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), Porametee Vimolsiri, former Secretary General and his staff. Pattama Teanravisitsagool (Deputy Secretary General of the NESDB), Marayart Samootsakorn (Acting Senior Advisor in Policy and Plan) and their respective teams have been a valuable counterpart throughout the process, both technically and analytically. Nisawan Pitchdumrong, Patcharawan Ubonloet, Ratthasapa Submuang, Ampassacha Rakkhumkaeo and Chidabha Chitsamphandhvej played a key role in the continuous interaction between the OECD team, the NESDB and other representatives from the Government of Thailand. In particular, they were extremely helpful in the organisation of field trips in the provinces of Chonburi, Nakhon Nayok, Nong Khai, Rayong and in Pattaya City. The Multi-dimensional Country Review team met and is grateful to the Office of the Prime Minister (in particular, the Bureau of the Budget and Office of the Public Sector Development Commission), the Ministry of Finance (especially the Fiscal Policy Office and Public Debt Management Office), the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (in particular, National Statistical Office), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Interior (and its Department of Local Administration and Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation), the Ministry of Labour (in particular, the Department of Skill Development and the Social Security Office), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Office of the Auditor General of Thailand, the Ministry of Public Health, the Provincial Waterworks Authority, and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.
The OECD Team is moreover grateful to all the representatives of local administration and private sectors met during field trips organised by the NESDB in May and June 2018. In particular, the report benefited from insights by the staff of the Nong Khai Customs House and representatives of the Governor’s Office, Provincial Administrative Organisation and Local Administrative Organisation of Nong Khai and Rayong; representative of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and Pattaya city; representatives from the private sector – including the Federation of Thai Industries - in Pattaya and Rayong; staff of the Map Ta Phut Industrial Port, Rayong; administrators, professors and students from the Thai-Austrian Technical College, Chonburi; staff and street-vendors from HomeNet – Thailand, met in Nakhon Nayok. The team is also grateful for inputs received from Duangmanee Laovakul, Tatchalerm Sudhipongpracha and Wasan Luangprapat (Thammasat University), Sayamol Charoenratana and Sucharit Koontanakulvong (Chulalongkorn University), Cholnapa Anukul (Just Society Network), Kirida Bhaopichitr and Tippatrai Saelawong (Thailand Development Research Institute) and all the other interlocutors of the Policy Mission held in Bangkok in May and June 2018 who extensively reviewed this report.
Finally, the team acknowledges David McDonald for editing the manuscript and the support of Aida Buendia, Delphine Grandrieux, Elizabeth Nash and Irit Perry from the OECD Development Centre’s Communications and Publications Unit as well as Agnes Loeb from the OECD Executive Directorate with the production of the report.