Institutional, Cultural Conflict and Governance Dilemma in Southern Frontier: An Inquiry into the Causes of Structural Poverty in Rural Thailand

บทคัดย่อ

Although Thailand officially reports the eradication of extreme (income) poverty, multidimensional poverty index (MPI) evidence indicates that roughly 80 percent of the poor remain concentrated in rural areas, revealing pronounced spatial and structural patterns. This study investigates the underlying drivers of rural poverty in Thailand, with particular attention to borderland dynamics in the southern frontier. Methodologically, it synthesizes extant scholarship and official data, employs structural-functional and political economy perspectives, and situates findings within a longitudinal and spatial-comparative framework to elucidate interlocking causal mechanisms. The analysis shows that rural poverty is rooted in the interaction of institutional weaknesses, cultural path dependence, and religious/ethnic cleavages. This structural predicament crystallizes along four interconnected dimensions: (1) a land-tenure paradox of “privatization–centralization–fragmentation” that undermines secure and equitable access; (2) urban-biased resource allocation reinforced by clientelism and patronage, producing chronic rural deprivation; (3) governance discontinuities and frictions between traditional authority and modern bureaucratic modalities that erode policy coherence and implementation; and (4) unintended consequences of nation-building and “unification” policies in border regions that exacerbate ethno-religious tensions and limit inclusive development. Together, these mechanisms entrench a durable web of rural disadvantage. The study advances an integrated framework for analyzing structural poverty in Thailand and comparable Southeast Asian contexts, and it informs the design of targeted, context-sensitive, and sustainable poverty reduction strategies.