Abstract:
This thesis aims to study and analyse the development and the special characteristics of the Thai Cabinet as a system which is not only the supreme decision-making organ in Thailands body politic, but also as an important arena for competition, conflict mediation and compromise between the two main forces of Thai politics, namely the bureaucratic forces and the extrabureaucratic forces. The study find that the Thai Cabinet system is one which is shaped by the bureaucratic forces, with the result that the Cabinet does not function primarily as a decision-making body, but performs mainly as an administrative body. However, the growth of extrabureaucratic forces, emanating from social and economic changes taking place in Thailand over the last few decades, enable these extrabureaucratic forces to counterbalance, disagree, compete and compromise with the bureaucratic forces. Thus the Cabinet system also functions as an arena for the interplays between these two forces. The consequence of these interplays is that the Cabinet becomes a system with two special characteristics : the first is dualism of structure and composition, with both the bureaucratic and extrabureaucratic forces having representation in the Cabinet, and with Cabinet decisions being results of interplays between these forces; the second is dualism of functions, with the Cabinet performing function of both a decision-making and an administrative body. The study, furthermore, finds that the existence of these two special characteristics of the Thai Cabinet system results in the lack of efficiency in its decision-making performance, with the focus of attention being on the mediation of competing forces and interests in all issues. This inefficiency is made worse by the increase of administrative tasks that the Cabinet is required to deal with, although a number of efforts have been made to improve its efficiency, for example through the formation of Cabinet committees to consider specific problems, through the development of the capabilities and efficiency of all agencies involved in assisting the Cabinet in its functions, and through the promulgation of laws and regulations pertaining the Cabinets operations. The study concludes that the very fact that the Thai Cabinet systems existence has been uninterrupted testifies to its ability to respond to the demands of both the bureaucratic and the extra bureaucratic forces. Therefore, although the system is inefficient in its decision-making functions, improvements to the system cannot be brought about by modifications of the Thai political system as a whole. Rather, the best means of improving the Cabinet system is through the modification of the internal mechanisms of three 'subsystems', namely the system of decision-making, the Cabinet structures, and the mechanisms which assist in the Cabinets operations.