A Social Network Analysis of Political Networks and Democracy in Thailand

Abstract

Personal relationships have historically been a significant influence in Thai culture, extending into national politics. Ties between members of the Senate and the House of Representatives through various networks are good examples of this observation. Academic research has suggested that such networks could lead to oligarchic politics and thus jeopardise the quality of a functioning democracy, but it has yet to identify the specific patterns and quantify the intensity of these relationships. Using Social Network Analysis framework, this paper compared the levels and patterns of relationships between members of Parliament during four recent parliamentary terms and analysed their relationship with the quality of Thailand’s democracy during each period. The results showed a strong inverse correlation between the intensity of political networks and the quality of democracy. Although the mechanism for this relationship is not clear, these political networks may intervene in government policymaking to formulate policies that favour partisans and coordinate to reduce democratic governance of policymaking and other political institutions. The finding suggests that Social Network Analysis can be used to monitor the level of in-group networks in parliament, which may reduce economic rent-seeking, a distinguished characteristic of oligarchy, and thus facilitate a better-functioning democracy in Thailand.