Thorn Pitidol, (Ph.D.)
August 30, 2018Dr.Thorn Pitidol is currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University. Thorn graduated from the University of Oxford, UK, receiving MPhil in Development Studies and DPhil in Social Policy. His research focus is at the intersection between economics and politics, with the issues of interests ranging from community development, inequality, and welfare systems in Thailand. Thorn’s PhD work and his subsequent academic publications focus on applying multi-disciplinary approaches to understand Thailand’s development and political issues.
His doctoral thesis “The Limits of Community Participation” combines knowledge from economics, politics, and anthropology to examine and evaluate Thailand’s experiences in promoting community participation as the answer to development problems. His recent publications “Democratic Discourses in Thailand’s Civil Society” (Journal of Contemporary Asia, 400(3)) and “The Rise of the Thai Upper-Middle Class and its Turn against Democracy” (Forthcoming publication of ISEAS, Singapore) represent similar attempts in understanding other aspects of Thailand. He is currently pursuing research to understand the dynamics of wealth and inequality in Thailand since World War II. In addition to academic works, Thorn is also working as a country-based consultant for the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), regularly providing analysis and insights on Thailand’s current state of economy and politics.