Divergent Pathways of Development: A Comparative Case Study of Human Well-Being in Two Thai Provinces

Over the last two decades there has been a growing interest in shifting the political focus from gross domestic product as an indicator of well-being to more pluralistic concepts. Correspondingly, approaches to development have also evolved. A case study of two neighboring Thai provinces, Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram, provides a means to examine divergent development pathways and the resulting differences in well-being. Samut Sakhon was influenced by traditional economic forces. By contrast, the United Nations Development Programme cited Samut Songkhram as a “showcase of the sufficiency economy”, although the extent to which the sufficiency economy philosophy was deliberately applied is unclear. Today, the gross provincial product is much higher in Samut Sakhon, but Samut Songkhram ranks higher on the human achievement index (HAI). In comparison with traditional economic indicators, the HAI provides a more realistic depiction of the provinces; however, the index has shortcomings in regards to social and environmental issues.