The Politics of Law, Development and Constitutionalism in Thailand:
Seeking Rousseau, Finding Hobbes

Prof. Harding, Andrew J.
Professor of Law
University of Victoria

Having embarked on an ambitious constitutional reform process at the very height of the economic crisis in 1997, Thailand now finds itself, after a 5-year roller coaster experience of authoritarian government, followed by a military coup and the drafting of a new constitution, with problems of rule of law implementation and political economy. This paper looks at the factors which have precipitated the present crisis and analyses changing ideas about law and development in the Thai context.