Political Study of Thailand’s Lower North (A Preliminary Review): Current Status, Focus Areas, Gaps, and Overlooked Local, Social, and Economic Power Dynamics

Watcharapol Supajakwattana; Paul Chambers

doi:10.69650/jcdrhs.2025.1017

Authors

Watcharapol Supajakwattana Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0121-4225
Paul Chambers Center of ASEAN Community Studies, Faculty of Social Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69650/jcdrhs.2025.1017

Keywords:

Political Science Research Trends/Status, Lower Northern Thailand, Overlooked Locality

Abstract

Thai political science scholarship has traditionally concentrated on democracy, national politics, and electoral dynamics, focusing predominantly on regions such as the metropolitan periphery, the Northeast, the Upper North. Conversely, the Lower North remains significantly understudied and is frequently misclassified within adjacent regions, resulting in a fragmented understanding of its distinct political landscape. Consequently, there is lack of a systematic analytical framework to comprehensively analyze political developments specific to this area.

This study systematically reviews 695 publications from 1997 to 2024, retrieved from Scopus, Sage Journals, ThaiJo, and the King Prajadhipok’s Institute database, to examine how the Lower North has been analyzed in political research. The study identifies two main objectives: 1) to map the development of political research on the Lower North over the past 27 years, and 2) to highlight key gaps and underexplored themes that constrain understanding of the region’s politics.

Findings reveal that since 2006, scholarly attention has largely concentrated on political behavior, particularly electoral patterns and voting strategies. Concurrently, research on political institutions, public administration, sociopolitical movements, and resistance groups has expanded significantly. However, foundational issues—such as economic structures, capital flows, historical influences, local power dynamics, and capitalist networks—remain notably understudied. This imbalance has produced a fragmented understanding of the region, privileging event-driven analyses over structural explanations of power and capital networks. The study contributes by proposing an agenda for future research that emphasizes structural political economy, balanced provincial representation, methodological diversity, and policy-relevant institutional analysis, positioning the Lower North as a crucial site for understanding Thailand’s evolving political landscape.

Author Biography

Watcharapol Supajakwattana, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand

วัชรพล

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