How much does it cost to become an MP in Thailand? Is entering parliamentary politics prohibitively expensive for ordinary people? Has the rise of the Move Forward Party (now the People’s Party) changed the landscape as regards candidate selection and campaign finance? Or do well-connected members of local political dynasties still exert a dominant role in determining who enters parliament?

In this podcast, Chanintorn Pensute, an associate professor in the Faculty of Political Science at Chiang Mai University, talks about a fascinating report she recently co-authored (with Pailin Phujeenaphan, an associate professor and Dean at the same Faculty) for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, entitled The Cost of Politics in Thailand.

Chanintorn Pensute works mainly on electoral politics in Thailand, and gained her PhD from the University of Leeds. Her articles have appeared in Contemporary Southeast Asia and other journals.

Duncan McCargo is President’s Chair in Global Affairs at Nanyang Technological University.

Talking Thai Politics brings crafted conversations about the politics of Thailand to a global audience. Created by the Generation Thailand project at Nanyang Technological University, the podcast is co-hosted by Duncan McCargo and Chayata Sripanich. Our production assistant is Li Xinruo.

Talking Thai Politics Website