Institutional and Cultural Conflict and the Governance Dilemma in the Southern Frontier: An Inquiry into the Structural Causes of Poverty in Rural
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Abstract
Although Thailand officially reported the eradication of extreme income poverty, multidimensional poverty index (MPI) evidence indicated that roughly 80 percent of the poor remained concentrated in rural areas, revealing pronounced spatial and structural patterns. This study investigated the underlying drivers of rural poverty in Thailand, with particular attention to borderland dynamics in the southern frontier. Methodologically, it synthesized existing scholarship and official data, employed structural-functional and political economy perspectives, and situated findings within a longitudinal and spatial-comparative framework to elucidate interlocking causal mechanisms.
The analysis showed that rural poverty was rooted in the interaction of institutional weaknesses, cultural path dependence, and religious/ethnic cleavages. This structural predicament crystallized along four interconnected dimensions: (1) a land-tenure paradox of "privatization–centralization–fragmentation" that undermined secure and equitable access; (2) urban-biased resource allocation reinforced by clientelism and patronage, which produced chronic rural deprivation; (3) governance discontinuities and frictions between traditional authority and modern bureaucratic modalities that eroded policy coherence and implementation; and (4) unintended consequences of nation-building and "unification" policies in border regions that exacerbated ethno-religious tensions and limited inclusive development. Together, these mechanisms entrenched a durable web of rural disadvantage.
The study therefore drew on structural-functional and political economy perspectives to explore how institutional and governance arrangements perpetuated rural poverty. It advanced an integrated framework for analyzing structural poverty in Thailand and comparable Southeast Asian contexts, and it informed the design of targeted, context-sensitive, and sustainable poverty reduction strategies. This study contributed to both theoretical and practical discourses on poverty by integrating institutional, cultural, and conflict dimensions into a cohesive analytical framework. Its findings offer actionable insights for policymakers and development practitioners seeking to design context-sensitive and sustainable poverty alleviation strategies in Thailand and similar Southeast Asian contexts.
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