Whither populism?

Populist pledges by political parties have apparently diminished during campaigns for next month’s polls, writes Wichit Chantanusornsiri

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Compared with the previous election, when some parties promised to distribute hundreds of billions of baht in cash and others pledged infrastructure projects worth trillions, the level of populism in campaign pledges during this election appears to have declined, which academics see as a positive development.

DIMINISHING POPULISM

Nonarit Bisonyabut, a research fellow at the Thailand Development Research Institute, said populist vows by political parties in this election appear to have diminished.

However, the detailed policy documents that political parties must submit to the Election Commission (EC) explaining how much each policy would cost have not been seen.

"Unlike the last election, when some parties proposed handing out hundreds of billions of baht in cash and others proposed trillion-baht infrastructure projects, such policies are absent this time. Even the elderly allowance, which was previously advertised at 3,000 baht per person per month, has now been reduced to 1,000 or 1,500 baht, which is considered more moderate," he said. "The reduction in populism is a positive sign."

Mr Nonarit said the decline in populist policies among political parties may be due to EC requirements that parties must explain the sources of funding for each policy, as well as fiscal constraints stemming from more limited government finances.

"At a minimum, the absence of aggressive populist policies opens some room for parties to compete on who can better address the country’s structural problems, such as debt resolution, public health reform and workforce development," he said.

NEW TRENDS

A Finance Ministry source who requested anonymity said party policies in this election reflect three common trends.

The first trend is gamification of the economy, drawing on behavioural economics, with many parties beginning to use "game-based mechanisms" as economic incentives.