1st Edition

Sufficiency Thinking Thailand's gift to an unsustainable world

Edited By Gayle C. Avery Copyright 2016

    Our world is under pressure, with growing inequalities in wealth and access to food and clean water. We depend too heavily on polluting fuels and diminishing natural resources. Traditional cultural practices are being swamped by global popular culture.

    The Thai model of sufficiency thinking aims to transform the mindset of a whole population to achieve the seemingly impossible: enriching everyone's lives in a truly sustainable way.

    Innovative management practices developed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand have been applied across Thailand in agriculture, education, business, government and community organisations for over two decades.

    In this book, chapters written by eminent Thai scholars explain sufficiency thinking and review its implementation in different sectors including community development, business, agriculture, health care, schools, and even in prisons.

    Is Thailand unique in having discovered the holy grail of a more responsible form of capitalism? No, it is not, but it is the first country whose government has adopted this kind of thinking as national policy.

    '...we obviously need to revise dramatically our thinking about the outlines of a just economy and a decent society in which everyone can lead dignified lives. Sufficiency Thinking provides creative approaches to this quandary and this important volume is a brilliant addition to the growing literature critical of mainstream business-as-usual ideology.' - John Komlos, Professor Emeritus, University of Munich

    List of tables and figures

    Foreword Dr Apichai Puntasen

    Foreword Dr Philip Hallinger

    Editors' preface

    Acknowledgements

    About the contributors


    PART I: INTRODUCTION

    1. Thailand: An unexpected role model - Gayle C. Avery and Harald Bergsteiner

    PART II: THE SUFFICIENCY ECONOMY PHILOSOPHY

    2. Immoral capitalism: The need for a new approach - Nattapong Thongpakde, Prasopchoke Mongsawad and Harald Bergsteiner

    3. The Sufficiency Economy Philosophy - Harald Bergsteiner, Pornkasem Kantamara and Priyanut Dharmapiya (Piboolsravut)

    PART III: AT THE LOCAL AND COMMUNITY LEVELS

    4. The 'New Theory' for the agricultural sector - Pornkasem Kantamara

    5. Community sufficiency in Nan province - Phallapa Petison, Werapong Prapha and Veerathai Santipraphob

    6. The impact of sufficiency thinking on community development - Aree Wiboonpongse and Songsak Sriboonchitta

    7. Sufficiency thinking in economic development and environmental management - Thanpuying Suthawan Sathirathai and Sirintornthep Towprayoon

    PART IV: AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL

    8. Cultivating a sufficiency mindset in Thai schools - Priyanut Dharmapiya (Piboolsravut) and Molraudee Saratun

    9. Sufficiency in Thai healthcare - Thep Himathongkam and Tanya Vannapruegs

    10. Sufficiency thinking in a prisoner development program - Juthamas Kaewpijit and Suparak Suriyankietkaew

    PART V: SUFFICIENCY THINKING IN BUSINESS

    11. The sufficiency economy in action at Nithi Foods - Sooksan Kantabutra and Warat Winit

    12. Siam Cement Group as a sustainable enterprise - Parisa Rungruang and Vichita Vathanophas Ractham

    13. From philosophy to business practice - Sooksan Kantabutra

    PART VI: ACTIONING THE FUTURE

    14. Practices for enhancing resilience and performance - Gayle C. Avery and Harald Bergsteiner

    15. The outlook for sufficiency thinking - Harald Bergsteiner

    About Thailand

    References

    Index

    Biography

    GAYLE C. AVERY is Professor of Management at Macquarie Graduate School of Management. HARALD BERGSTEINER is an honorary professor at the Australian Catholic University. They are founders of the Institute for Sustainable Leadership and authors of Sustainable Leadership: Honeybee and Locust Approaches.