Introduction

Thai modern political history began in 1932 when the ancient royal rule was toppled by a group of Western-educated, middle-ranking military and civil bureaucrats. In fact the bureaucracy was so dominant in politics and policy-making that Fred Riggs identified the Thai political regime as a “bureaucratic polity.” At the heart of the Thai bureaucratic polity was the weakness of extra- bureaucratic forces, be they governmental actors or nongovernmental actors. The explanation for the disjunction of wealth and power is to be found at least in part in the ethnic composition of the business community of Thailand. Contrary to the belief of several scholars and practitioners about the peculiarity of Thai politics, Riggs from the beginning held that bureaucratic polity was by no means unique to Thailand. Development economists are no better than political scientists when it comes to the study of the business and the economic activities of business associations and their overall role in economic development.