The political economy of Thailand's international trade negotiations : some multilateral and bilateral issues

Abstract

This thesis examines Thailand's international trade negotiations, using a political economy framework. It concentrates on the country's multilateral negotiations in the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and bilateral negotiations with the United States on intellectual property protection. The objectives of this thesis are to analyse the role of the Thai private sector and the autonomy of the Thai government in the process of these negotiations. This study argues that, apart from the public sector, the Thai private sector also plays an important role in the country's trade negotiations. However, the level of its participation varies from one negotiating framework to another. Bilateral negotiations tend to draw more attention from the private sector, because they have more direct impact on individual businesses. This is a result of the high concentration of interest caused by the small number of negotiating issues and people involved in these negotiations. In the country's bilateral negotiations with the United States, Thailand's private sector actively engaged in the negotiating process through various kinds of lobbying activities. The Thai government had to respond to these activities and compromise interests among different groups. In contrast, the role of Thai private enterprises in the Uruguay Round negotiations was rather limited. This provided the Thai government with autonomy in formulating the country's negotiating positions and in implementing Uruguay Round commitments. This resulted in a higher degree of autonomy for the government in the Uruguay Round negotiations, compared with bilateral negotiations with the United States. Thailand's Uruguay Round negotiations and its bilateral negotiations with the United States carry some implications, both for government policy and agencies as well as for their relationship with private businesses. There have already been a number of changes not only in the Thai bureaucratic system but also in the general public's opinion regarding trade negotiations. Nevertheless, to improve the capability of Thai government officials in the negotiating process and to promote national interests, some further changes are still necessary.