Thailand's Election Results: Implications for Democracy and Science

Thailand's recent election has resulted in a victory for the Move Forward Party, which advocates for radical reform in the country's bureaucracy, economy, military, and monarchy. The country is pursuing plans to move towards innovation, known as Thailand 4.0, but the new government's impact on these plans remains unclear. The Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy concept, a pillar of Thailand 4.0, has been hobbled by inadequate workforce education and training and a lack of clarity about what projects are included in the plan, their targets, and outcomes. The new government will need to focus on improving the quality of education and training, as well as changing how research and development grants are allocated, to realize Thailand's innovation ambitions.