Multi-dimensional Review of Thailand (Volume 2)

Acknowledgements
Acronyms and abbreviations
Executive summary
	A new growth path: unlocking the potential of regions
	Making multi-level governance work for more effective development
	Moving towards effective management of water security
Chapter 1.  Overview: The three transitions to move Thailand to the next stage of development
	Thailand’s cross-cutting challenges
	A new growth path: Unlocking the potential of Thailand’s region
		Past policies for regional development and structural transformation have created today’s productivity landscape
		Moving towards more broad-based and innovative regional development policies
		Supporting secondary cities as engines of growth outside of Bangkok
		Skills development as a tool of regional and urban policy
		Effective and innovative regional development necessitates fiscal and institutional reforms
	Making multi-level governance work for Thailand’s transitions
		Revising the dual model of governance would enable more benefits to be reaped from local autonomy
		Better clarified roles, tasks and powers of each level of government would contribute to the efficiency and transparency of public service delivery
		Thailand should seek ways to better utilise economies of scale in subnational public service provision
		A reform of the financing system would help reduce fiscal disparities between LAOs
		Strengthening subnational capacity for strategic planning and territorial development could contribute to regional growth
	Towards effective management of water security
		Improving water security in Thailand is a journey that starts with a common vision
		Tackling multi-level governance will facilitate the move to improved water security
	Scenarios for Thailand’s future
	Policy recommendations
	References
		Annex 1.A. Thailand’s regions and provinces
Chapter 2.  A new growth path: Unlocking the potential of regions
	Regional and urban disparities in Thailand present a pressing structural challenge that must be addressed by boosting convergence
	Past policies for regional development and structural transformation have created today’s productivity landscape
		Past regional policies: an overview
		Changes in sectoral composition and labour flows explain regional productivity growth
	Moving towards more broad-based and innovative regional development policies
		Innovative regional development strategies must be multidimensional, flexible and driven by local discovery and ownership
		Building on local best performers as a guide for innovative regional development policy
		A convergence-divergence analysis to identify the distinguishing attributes of high-performing provinces
	Secondary cities as engines of growth outside of Bangkok
		Shaping the definition of cities with the help of satellite data
		Enabling secondary cities to develop in response to challenges specific to their location
	Skills development as a tool of regional and urban policy
		Enhancing technical and vocational education and training as an engine of skills development for local economies
		Strengthening provincial universities to boost productivity and entrepreneurship on the periphery
	Effective and innovative regional development necessitates fiscal and institutional reforms
	Policy recommendations
	Notes
	References
		Annex 2.A. Thai secondary cities, as identified through geospatial data
Chapter 3.  Making multi-level governance work for more effective development
	Overview of multi-level governance in Thailand from an international perspective: A highly centralised country
		Thailand’s multi-level governance framework is highly complex
		International perspectives on decentralisation in Thailand
	Thailand’s fiscal decentralisation framework: Wide-ranging tasks and underutilised own revenues
		Assignment of responsibilities across levels of government should be clarified
		Transfers and shared tax revenues dominate subnational government revenues
	Addressing the challenges
		Revising the dual model of governance
		Reconsidering spending assignments
		Enhancing economies of scale
		Reforming subnational government financing
		Strengthening subnational capacities to finance infrastructure
		Enhancing subnational capacity for strategic planning and territorial development
	Policy recommendations
	References
Chapter 4.  Moving towards effective management of water security
	Poor water security will hold back Thailand’s growth plans
	Moving from crisis management to risk management will increase long-term water security
		Moving towards a risk management approach is a three-step process
		Moving towards a risk-based approach will help prioritise action
	Improved water security depends upon good governance
		River basin management has the potential to drive water security improvements in Thailand
		Policy coherence and cross-ministerial dialogue is key to the acceptance of policy reforms
	Better use of economic instruments can improve water security
	Policy recommendations
	References
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