Title: Political economy of the landbridge project with a focus on Ranong development
Author: Miss Wipawadee Panyangnoi
Year: 2024
Keywords: Landbridge Project, Ranong Province, Spatial Justice, Environmental Politics, Public, Participation, Southern Economic Corridor (SEC)
Theme: Environmental Politics and Policy
Advisor(s): Narumon Arunotai, advisor
The full thesis available here.
Abstract: This thesis examines the policy process of the Ao Ang–Laem Rio Landbridge project, with a focus on Ranong Province, to explore the institutional and power dynamics underpinning the formulation of infrastructure development policy in Thailand. The study draws upon the frameworks of institutional and power-centered political economy, environmental justice, and place-based development to analyze the relationships among the state, capital interests, political actors, and local communities. The findings reveal that the promotion of the Landbridge project operates within a centralized policy structure that prioritizes macroeconomic and corporate interests over local capacities and community needs. Although the state has framed the project through the discourse of regional development, the actual process of site designation—such as the selection of Ranong—reflects structural inequalities, the erosion of community rights in determining their own futures, and the systematic neglect of socio-ecological dimensions. The Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) process for the proposed deep-sea port at Ao Ang further demonstrates institutional limitations that hinder meaningful public participation. At the same time, an analysis of everyday politics uncovers the sociopolitical dynamics within Ranong that make it increasingly difficult for citizens to exercise their rights to question or scrutinize state-led development initiatives. This study argues that the analysis of large-scale development policy must systematically link national structures to local dynamics in order to illuminate the overlapping actors and power relations across scales. Such an approach is essential for understanding the barriers to spatial justice and for advancing the right to meaningful public participation in development processes