Civil Society and Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) in Thailand. History, Politics, and State-Society Relations

Master's Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: International Organisations, grade: MA, University of Kent, language: English, abstract: In Thailand, organizations that work for public purpose and maintain their nonprofit/ nongovernmental status are far from being a mere recent phenomenon; they should not be regarded as a product of just the last few decades. They share the same history with philanthropic practices. Their progenitors can actually be traced back to the 19th Century when religious-based organizations were the key players of a community. However, they became popular and visible as 'NGOs' from the 1960s onwards. This study explores the ways and reasons in which NGOs developed throughout the history in Thailand. The growth of Thai NGOs heavily depend on government policies. NGOs had often been treated as threats towards the nation and the government. The situation got better from the 1990s. Many reasons are found to support the NGOization of civil society. Having a reciprocal and complex relationship with the state, Thai NGOs are not entirely independent from the state like those of Western society. Instead, the NGO-state in Thailand represents state-led civil society, if not 'semi-civil society'.