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Late to the Party: The Development of Partisanship in Thailand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2013

Allen Hicken
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Abstract

This article investigates the emergence of new partisan identities in Thailand. Using data from Thailand's last several elections I trace the emergence of partisanship over the last 15 years, particularly in the north and northeast. The change in the nature of partisanship has helped turn long-simmering tensions into an increasingly intractable political conflict. This mass partisan alignment has upset the equilibrium of Thai politics, transforming what was once an inefficient but modest-stakes game of political horse-trading into a zero sum game with extremely high stakes.

Keywords

political partyThailandpartisanshipparty identitypolarization
Type
Articles
Information
TRaNS: Trans-Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia , Volume 1 , Special Issue 2: Redefining and Recontextualising Politics in Southeast Asia , July 2013 , pp. 199 - 213
Copyright
Copyright © Institute of East Asian Studies, Sogang University 2013 

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