Friday Forum: Inequality, COVID-19, and Thailand’s Youth Democracy Movement

Praopan Pratoomchat
Assistant Professor of Economics
School of Business and Economics
University of Wisconsin-Superior

This study analyzes income and wealth inequality and the effects of the shock of the pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 in Thailand. The existing constitution has allowed the military government to become extremely powerful financially and politically. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the effects of this unequal system. Workers in vulnerable service sectors are losing their jobs and income. The middle class and young generation have sparked the democracy movement and protests, beginning in September 2020, to request a new constitution, transparency, and democracy in Bangkok and many big cities. This study applies the political economy framework to analyze these phenomena.

This event is free and open to the public. A recording of this talk will be available on the CSEAS YouTube channel following the event.