Dynamik der Bürokratie und Konservatismus der Unternehmer: Strategische Gruppen in Thailand und den Philippinen

Abstract

While the level of material development is fairly comparable throughout Southeast Asia, the social power structure shows remarkable differences. In this article, the authors relate the variety of military and one-party regimes, parliamentary systems and "guided democracies" to different forms of dominance. The approach of strategic group analysis is employed to conceptualize coalitions and competition of entrepreneurs, landlords, professionals, bureaucrats and the military in two Southeast Asian countries, namely Thailand and the Philippines. At first sight, the results are somewhat paradox: the Philippines, which were thoroughly "modernized" by their American masters, are facing a deep economic and social crisis since the 70s; in contrast, Thailand, an apparently "traditional" country lacking modern institutions, is about to enter the exclusive club of the NICs. The authors state that the very asset of post-independence Philippines - its outstanding political and social stability which made it the tiger-economy of Southeast Asia at that time - has become a liability: a closed oligarchy of former landlords monopolized all emerging sources of power and income and thereby effectively blocked the development of society. In Thailand, the formerly "absolutist" bureaucracy was, in its own interest, forced into a coalition with the military, the private economy and the technocrats. The resulting equilibrium in which one group can monopolize the flow of resources, is instrumental for dynamics and growth.