A Critical Study of Thailand's Higher Education Reforms The culture of borrowing Routledge Critical Studies in Asian Education Series

This book offers a critical examination of contemporary higher education reforms in Thailand situated in the broader historical, socio-economic and political changes. Through a qualitative case study with three methods of inquiry, this book explores why different 'global education policies' such quasi-privatisation, internationalization, as quality assessment (QA) have resonated in Thailand higher education sector. Grounded in policy borrowing and lending, this book uses the politics, economics and culture of borrowing to analyse major reforms in Thailand for the past one hundred years. It is argued that historical legacy, policy contexts and belief systems of policy elites play pivotal roles in facilitating policy changes or the lack thereof. While historical analysis elucidates that the Thai state has always been an active borrower of western ideas, the perseverance of the 'Thai-ness' discourse has often been used to suggest its so-called independence and idiosyncrasy. This in-depth analysis of the Thai case aims to contribute to the critical studies in Asian education, comparative higher education, policy borrowing and lending and Thai studies. The Culture of Borrowing intensively studies the policy appropriation in the Thai education system by analysing:

? Selective Borrowing and the Historical Development of Thai Higher Education

? The Asian Economic Crisis as Window of Opportunity: Autonomous University

? Internationalization of Teaching: Quantitative and Qualitative Challenges

? The Emergence of Quality Policies and their Rationales

? The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Quality Policies

This book will appeal to researchers in Education, particularly to scholars studying educational policies within the context of tertiary education. It will also interest scholars specialising in Asian and South-east Asian Studies.

1. Globalization of Higher Education Policy 2. Selective Borrowing and the Historical Development of Thai Higher Education 3. The Changing Role of the Thai State and Higher Education Administration 4. The Asian Economic Crisis as Window of Opportunity: Autonomous University 5. Internationalization of Teaching: Quantitative and Qualitative Challenges 6. The Politics of International Ranking and Thailand Research Landscape 7. The Emergence of Quality Policies and their Rationales 8. The Global-Local Nexus of Quality Policies: The Case of ONESQA 9. The Intended and Unintended Consquences of Quality Policies 10. The Culture of Borrowing and Thailand Reform Fatigue

Rattana Lao received a doctorate in Comparative and International Education (Political Science) from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is currently a lecturer at Pridi Banomyong International College, Thammasat University.