Abstract
If the 1990s marked the ‘deliberative turn’ in democratic theory (Dryzek 2000), it would appear, then, that the first decade of the twenty-first century has witnessed a turn toward deliberative practices in the real world. Introducing elements of deliberative democracy is widely considered to be one of the best ways to reinvigorate representative democratic institutions that have long suffered from a crisis of legitimacy, even in the advanced democracies. Consequently, various innovations of deliberative democracy have been introduced and applied worldwide, including in some developing democracies and authoritarian regimes. One developing country that has long practiced deliberative innovations extensively is Thailand. Its experiences with deliberative democracy, however, have not been as smooth or rosy as in other developing countries that have showcased deliberative democracy via mechanisms such as participatory budgeting in Porto Alegre and numerous other cities in Brazil, or panchayat reforms in West Bengal and Kerala, India. Since its first experiment with deliberative techniques in 2000, Thailand has experienced two military coups and protracted political and social conflicts. What went wrong with deliberative democracy in Thailand? Why has deliberative democracy in Thailand neither contributed to revitalizing representative democracy nor prevented the reversal of democracy? This chapter addresses these questions with an underlying objective of drawing out some critical reflections from the case of Thailand for the study of deliberative democracy.
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Notes
- 1.
HIA initiatives began in 2001 with technical and research support from the HSRI. For more on the evolution of HIAs in Thailand, see Phoolcharoen et al. (2003).
- 2.
The Jefferson Center defines itself as a non-profit, non-partisan organization to strengthen the democratic process by generating citizen input on matters of public importance. The central focus of the Jefferson Center is its trademarked Citizens Jury process (The Jefferson Center 2004).
- 3.
Chiang Mai is one of the political strongholds of the red shirts, while the political base of the then Prime Minister Abhisit and his Democrat Party lies in the southern region and among the yellow shirts.
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Jumnianpol, S., Nuangjamnong, N. (2016). Can Deliberative Democracy Be an Alternative for the Twenty-First Century? A Case Study of Thailand. In: Banpasirichote Wungaeo, C., Rehbein, B., Wun'gaeo, S. (eds) Globalization and Democracy in Southeast Asia. Frontiers of Globalization. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57654-5_12
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