The Middle-Income Trap of Thailand: The Politics of Comparative Development of the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Japan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60027/iarj.2026.e290386Keywords:
Middle-Income Trap, Politics of Comparative Development, Hybrid StrategyAbstract
Background and Aims: The middle-income trap is a phenomenon where developing countries are unable to raise their income levels to become high-income nations. This article aims to analyze the factors that could enable Thailand to escape the middle-income trap by comparing the developmental trajectories of the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Japan.
Methodology: This study employs a comparative development approach, analyzing the stages of economic advancement to identify the factors contributing to a country’s success or failure in overcoming the middle-income trap.
Results: Countries that have successfully escaped the middle-income trap—such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan—have systematically established strong foundations in industry and innovation, with the state playing a strategic role in development. In contrast, countries that remain trapped, such as Thailand and China, face structural economic limitations, reliance on cheap labor, and a lack of sustainable innovation-supporting institutions. Although Thailand has reached an upper-middle-income status, it has yet to undergo a genuine structural economic transformation.
Conclusion: To sustainably escape the middle-income trap, Thailand should adopt a hybrid strategy: using Japan’s “developmental state” model as the core, integrating China’s innovation promotion, and building institutional market foundations akin to those in the United Kingdom and the United States.
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