The Political Economy of Productivity
Thai Agricultural Development, 1880-1975
Description
The economic history of Thailand between 1880 and 1975 contrasts
sharply with the development experiences of other Third World
countries. Between the opening of trade in 1850 and 1941, when war
halted economic activity, Thailand became a major exporter of rice in
the world market. Although conditions for further growth seemed highly
favourable, Thailand's rapid integration into the world economy
failed to improve living standards, and rice yields actually declined.
In examining the causes of the underdevelopment of Thai agriculture
over the last 100 years, Feeny introduces supply and demand models of
technical and institutional change to analyse why the rice export boom
did not result in more development. This book, much of which is based
on primary research in the Thai National Archives, is one of the few
quantitative economic histories of a less developed country.