Conquering "inequality of opportunity" in Thailand the way to go
By Jon Fernquest
Education
may be free nowadays in Thailand but parents still have to pay bribes to get their
kids into the best schools (Read article). This isn't just rich people in Bangkok either.
Canvassers for provincial politicians also get their kids into good schools as so-called "Dek Fak" (Read article).
Today's article is about
inequality of opportunity - not having an
opportunity to improve yourself, through education, for example
bribe - money to a government official to get special treatment or favour
the way to go - the solution that should be tried, the right policy
canvasser - person hired by a politician to deliver votes in an election (by whatever means possible)
bribe - money to a government official to get special treatment or favour
the way to go - the solution that should be tried, the right policy
canvasser - person hired by a politician to deliver votes in an election (by whatever means possible)
Opinion
SAY TELL, NINE TEN
Gridlock in the streets and in politics
8/06/2010Sethaput Suthiwart-Narueput
I am not so sure that welfare schemes and redistribution are the way to go. Handing out various freebies may be politically popular but is unlikely to increase incomes in a lasting manner.
Albert Hirschman, a German economist, once compared the process of economic development to a two-lane traffic jam. As one lane begins to move, drivers who are stuck in the other lane are at first hopeful that their lane will also soon begin to move. But if they keep on getting stuck, they become increasingly frustrated, and the movement of drivers in the other lane becomes a source of resentment rather than hope. Eventually, they may try to force their way into the other lane, disrupting traffic in both lanes.
gridlock - a
situation where it is impossible to move forward and make progress
(when there are so many cars on the road that traffic can no longer
move)
welfare - help given, especially by the state or an organization, to people who need it; good care and living conditions สวัสดิภาพ
schemes - systems for achieving some goal
redistribution - taking from one group of people and giving to another group, sharing something out differently from before, especially in a fairer way การปันส่วนหรือจัดสรรอย่างเป็นธรรม
the way to go - the solution that should be tried, the right policy
freebies - free things given by the government or free samples or promotions from companies
lasting - continuing to exist or have an effect for a long time ที่กินเวลานาน
manner - way วิธีการ
Albert Hirschman - a scholar of political economy (now 95 years old) who wrote influential books on development economics (See Wikipedia)
process - a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
development - the gradual growth and formation of something
economic development - the process of an economy of moving from a "simple, low-income economy to a modern, high-income economy...includes the process and policies by which a nation improves the economic, political, and social well-being of its people" (See Wikipedia)
traffic - the number traveling to a place during a period of time (people, aircraft, ships, trains, cars, trucks, etc.) ความหนาแน่นของจำนวนคน หรือยานพาหนะในช่วงเวลาใดช่วงเวลาหนึ่ง
jam - to block; to prevent from being sent กั้น ป้องกัน
traffic jam - a line of cars and vehicles stopped and waiting (something blocking the road or just too many cars on the road)
frustrated - feeling annoyed and impatient because you are prevented from doing something ผิดหวัง,ท้อแท้ใจมาก, หงุดหงิดใจ
source - the cause of something ต้นกำเนิด, แหล่งกำเนิด
resentment - anger and bitter feelings about something, a feeling of anger because you have been forced to accept someone or something that you do not like ความไม่พอใจ
force - strong and violent action กำลัง ความรุนแรง
welfare - help given, especially by the state or an organization, to people who need it; good care and living conditions สวัสดิภาพ
schemes - systems for achieving some goal
redistribution - taking from one group of people and giving to another group, sharing something out differently from before, especially in a fairer way การปันส่วนหรือจัดสรรอย่างเป็นธรรม
the way to go - the solution that should be tried, the right policy
freebies - free things given by the government or free samples or promotions from companies
lasting - continuing to exist or have an effect for a long time ที่กินเวลานาน
manner - way วิธีการ
Albert Hirschman - a scholar of political economy (now 95 years old) who wrote influential books on development economics (See Wikipedia)
process - a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
development - the gradual growth and formation of something
economic development - the process of an economy of moving from a "simple, low-income economy to a modern, high-income economy...includes the process and policies by which a nation improves the economic, political, and social well-being of its people" (See Wikipedia)
traffic - the number traveling to a place during a period of time (people, aircraft, ships, trains, cars, trucks, etc.) ความหนาแน่นของจำนวนคน หรือยานพาหนะในช่วงเวลาใดช่วงเวลาหนึ่ง
jam - to block; to prevent from being sent กั้น ป้องกัน
traffic jam - a line of cars and vehicles stopped and waiting (something blocking the road or just too many cars on the road)
frustrated - feeling annoyed and impatient because you are prevented from doing something ผิดหวัง,ท้อแท้ใจมาก, หงุดหงิดใจ
source - the cause of something ต้นกำเนิด, แหล่งกำเนิด
resentment - anger and bitter feelings about something, a feeling of anger because you have been forced to accept someone or something that you do not like ความไม่พอใจ
force - strong and violent action กำลัง ความรุนแรง
It does not take a great leap of imagination to see some parallels with what is playing out in Thailand today. If there is one thing we understand well living in Bangkok, it is traffic jams.
People sometimes reach the point where they don't care if what they are doing disrupts things for others: ''If I can't go, why should you?''
The result is gridlock in the streets and in politics.
So what is the way out.
leap
- to make a large jump or sudden movement, usually from one place to
another กระโดด
imagination - the ability to form pictures in the mind จินตนาการ
Y doesn't take much of a leap of imagination - it is reasonable to believe (or imagine) that this Y the case
X has parallels with Y - X has some similarities with Y
playing out - the way that events "play out" meaning: the one way from many possible ways that events happen
disrupt - to stop some activity by creating a problem for people
the way out - the way to solve the problem
imagination - the ability to form pictures in the mind จินตนาการ
Y doesn't take much of a leap of imagination - it is reasonable to believe (or imagine) that this Y the case
X has parallels with Y - X has some similarities with Y
playing out - the way that events "play out" meaning: the one way from many possible ways that events happen
disrupt - to stop some activity by creating a problem for people
the way out - the way to solve the problem
Many have said that the current problems stem from poverty, and that the way out is to reduce income inequality through welfare schemes and redistribution. Income inequality is certainly very high in Thailand: the richest 20% or quintile of the population accounts for nearly 55% of total income, while the poorest quintile accounts for only 4%. But I am not so sure that welfare schemes and redistribution are the way to go. Handing out various freebies may be politically popular but is unlikely to increase incomes in a lasting manner.
current
- of the present time ปัจจุบัน
X stems from Y - X comes from Y, C is caused by Y
poverty - the condition of being extremely poor ความจน
income - money that people receive from work or some other source, used for household consumption and savings
income inequality - whether there are small or big differences in how much money people make in a society (See Wikipedia)
quintile - 1/5th of a group or 20% of a group
population - all the animals or plants of a particular type or group who live in one country, area or place กลุ่มพืชและสัตว์ที่อาศัยอยู่ในบริเวณหนึ่ง
accounts - detailed descriptions of something that has happened การให้การของพยาน
accounts - the accounting records of a company, the records of money paid, received or owed over a period of time by a company
X stems from Y - X comes from Y, C is caused by Y
poverty - the condition of being extremely poor ความจน
income - money that people receive from work or some other source, used for household consumption and savings
income inequality - whether there are small or big differences in how much money people make in a society (See Wikipedia)
quintile - 1/5th of a group or 20% of a group
population - all the animals or plants of a particular type or group who live in one country, area or place กลุ่มพืชและสัตว์ที่อาศัยอยู่ในบริเวณหนึ่ง
accounts - detailed descriptions of something that has happened การให้การของพยาน
accounts - the accounting records of a company, the records of money paid, received or owed over a period of time by a company
Household incomes in the South and Central regions are about half those in Bangkok, while those in the North and Northeast are only about a third. Handouts and freebies are just not going to get you there. Neither is redistribution. Of the 65-plus million people in Thailand, fewer than 4 million actually pay any personal income tax. That is a lot of people to redistribute to, but rather few to redistribute from. Feasibility aside, redistribution is a zero-sum game (''more for you means less for me'') and likely to prove socially divisive.
household incomes -
the money that a family makes every year (includes money from husband
and wife working and from any investments)
handouts - free things that the government gives to people
personal income tax - tax paid on income by individuals and by families (by companies: corporate income tax)
feasible - possible to complete or succeed a project
feasibility aside, ...Y... - even if it is possible to succeed, it is still true that Y
sum - an amount of something, especially money จำนวนเงิน
zero-sum game - a game in which you only gain an amount X if some other person loses X
divisive - likely to cause arguments between people, causing a group to split into parts อันจะก่อให้เกิดความแตกแยก
likely to prove socially divisive - people will probably argue and fight over it
handouts - free things that the government gives to people
personal income tax - tax paid on income by individuals and by families (by companies: corporate income tax)
feasible - possible to complete or succeed a project
feasibility aside, ...Y... - even if it is possible to succeed, it is still true that Y
sum - an amount of something, especially money จำนวนเงิน
zero-sum game - a game in which you only gain an amount X if some other person loses X
divisive - likely to cause arguments between people, causing a group to split into parts อันจะก่อให้เกิดความแตกแยก
likely to prove socially divisive - people will probably argue and fight over it
The priority should instead be put firmly on addressing inequality of opportunity, not income. At a minimum, equality of opportunity requires wider, improved access to affordable, quality education and health services. Affordable does not have to mean free. Providing public services that are free but are of very poor quality does no one much good. The best ticket to better opportunities is still a quality education. Witness the frantic efforts of parents in Bangkok to put their kids into the ''right'' schools to get them into the ''right'' universities. But access to education in Thailand is - to put it mildly - uneven. Participation rates - the percentage in the relevant age group who are enrolled - in higher education for those in the richest quintile of the population are 10 times those in the poorest, while those in Bangkok are 4 times those in the Northeast. While Bangkok has about a quarter of the population of the Northeast, it has 1.5 times the number of higher education institutions.
priority
- the most important thing that must be done สี่งที่สำคัญเป็นลำดับแรก
addressing a problem - working to find a solution to a problem
opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do (See glossary)
inequality of opportunity vs. inequality of income - not having an opportunity to improve yourself, through education for example, versus just not having as much money as others
At a minimum, ... - the smallest amount that must be done, ....
equality - the state of being equal, especially in having the same rights, status and opportunities ความเสมอภาค
access - the right or opportunity to have or use something ได้รับสิทธิ์หรือโอกาสในการใช้
affordable - not expensive ไม่แพง
health services - the services that doctors, hospitals and pharmacies provide people
opportunities - situations in which it is possible to do what you want or need to do
ticket to better opportunities
frantic - doing something in an excited, wild and uncontrolled way
efforts - people trying to accomplish something, achieve a goal ความพยายาม
mildly - not seriously เล็กน้อย
relevant - directly connected to what is being discussed ที่เกี่ยวข้อง, ที่เกี่ยวข้องโดยตรง
institutions - large and important organizations, such as universities or banks สถาบัน
higher education institutions -
addressing a problem - working to find a solution to a problem
opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do (See glossary)
inequality of opportunity vs. inequality of income - not having an opportunity to improve yourself, through education for example, versus just not having as much money as others
At a minimum, ... - the smallest amount that must be done, ....
equality - the state of being equal, especially in having the same rights, status and opportunities ความเสมอภาค
access - the right or opportunity to have or use something ได้รับสิทธิ์หรือโอกาสในการใช้
affordable - not expensive ไม่แพง
health services - the services that doctors, hospitals and pharmacies provide people
opportunities - situations in which it is possible to do what you want or need to do
ticket to better opportunities
frantic - doing something in an excited, wild and uncontrolled way
efforts - people trying to accomplish something, achieve a goal ความพยายาม
mildly - not seriously เล็กน้อย
relevant - directly connected to what is being discussed ที่เกี่ยวข้อง, ที่เกี่ยวข้องโดยตรง
institutions - large and important organizations, such as universities or banks สถาบัน
higher education institutions -
Access indicators for health services are not much better. The population per physician in the Northeast is over 6 times that in Bangkok, the population per hospital bed nearly 4 times. And we need to get growth going again. Growth may not be sufficient, but it is still necessary. You are less likely to mind that the fellow in the other lane is moving faster than you if both of you are moving at a decent pace. That is probably why policy-makers in China have continued to put such strong emphasis on growth. Inequality is also very high in China, but its rapid growth can help people to feel that they or at least their children will have opportunities.
access indicators - statistics
and numbers that show who is able to get medical care (get treated by a
doctor or a hospital)
sufficient - enough พอเพียง
less likely to mind Y - don't care about Y, not irritating or angry about Y
fellow - used for talking about people who are similar to you or are in the same situation เพื่อนร่วมชะตากรรม
decent - has acceptable standard or quality
pace - the speed at which something happens ท่างทำนอง ย่างก้าว จังหวะ ที่สิ่งต่างๆ ดำเนินไป (See glossary)
policy - a plan of action to guide decisions and achieveoutcomess นโยบาย (See Wikipedia)
policy-makers - the government officials (both elected and bureaucrats) who make policy
emphasis - special importance or attention that is given to one thing in particular การเน้นย้ำ
rapid - happening fast and quickly อย่างรวดเร็ว
sufficient - enough พอเพียง
less likely to mind Y - don't care about Y, not irritating or angry about Y
fellow - used for talking about people who are similar to you or are in the same situation เพื่อนร่วมชะตากรรม
decent - has acceptable standard or quality
pace - the speed at which something happens ท่างทำนอง ย่างก้าว จังหวะ ที่สิ่งต่างๆ ดำเนินไป (See glossary)
policy - a plan of action to guide decisions and achieveoutcomess นโยบาย (See Wikipedia)
policy-makers - the government officials (both elected and bureaucrats) who make policy
emphasis - special importance or attention that is given to one thing in particular การเน้นย้ำ
rapid - happening fast and quickly อย่างรวดเร็ว
The economic crisis of 1997 taught us that growth which relies too much on leverage and foreign financing is unsustainable. The political crisis of 2010 teaches us that growth which is not sufficiently inclusive - i.e. where the opportunities from growth are not shared widely enough - is also likely to prove unsustainable. It will take much more than handouts and patriotic pop songs, but if we seriously tackle the underlying problems rather than just papering them over, then we can find a lasting way out.
Otherwise we will all still be stuck, and people will just go elsewhere to avoid the traffic jam and Thailand altogether.
crisis
- an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤต
leverage - using borrowed money to buy assets (higher leverage = higher percentage of borrowed money used in purchase)
unsustainable - cannot continue for a long time in the future
inclusive - includes everything and everyone
handouts - free money or things, given by the government สิ่งที่หยิบยื่นให้ฟรี
tackle - to make an organised and determined attempt to deal with a problem แก้ปัญหา, จัดการกับปัญหา
underlying - underneath, supporting, forming a foundation or basis for something
leverage - using borrowed money to buy assets (higher leverage = higher percentage of borrowed money used in purchase)
unsustainable - cannot continue for a long time in the future
inclusive - includes everything and everyone
handouts - free money or things, given by the government สิ่งที่หยิบยื่นให้ฟรี
tackle - to make an organised and determined attempt to deal with a problem แก้ปัญหา, จัดการกับปัญหา
underlying - underneath, supporting, forming a foundation or basis for something
The author is with the SCB Economic Intelligence Center. He can be reached at: sethaput.suthiwartnarueput@scb.co.th
(Source: SAY TELL, NINE TEN, Gridlock in the streets and in politics, 8/06/2010, Sethaput Suthiwart-Narueput, link)
