Contents>> Vol. 13, No. 2
Inter-Construction Goals: Navigating Thailand’s Digital Economy from a Sustainable Development Perspective
Zeng Damei* and Duan Haosheng**
*曾大妹, School of International Relations, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Xiamen University, No. 422 Siming South Road, Siming District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China
e-mail: 25520190154418[at]stu.xmu.edu.cn
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5800-9214
**段皓升, The Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in International Development Studies Programs (MAIDS-GRID) Program, the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Henri Dunant Rd, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Corresponding author’s e-mails: dhszero[at]163.com; 6384313624[at]student.chula.ac.th
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6926-3025
DOI: 10.20495/seas.13.2_229
The digital economy has become a powerful engine for global economic resurgence in the post-pandemic era. As an ASEAN developing country, Thailand greatly values the digital economy, which facilitates its “Thailand 4.0” Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By focusing on digitalization trends in Thailand, this article examines whether new technological trends will have beneficial or detrimental impacts on the socioeconomic flowering of the Global South in the digital age. The “Constructive-Sustainable Development Theoretical Framework” is formulated by combining constructivism and the SDGs for conducting analysis. According to empirical research, bridging the digital divide and reducing poverty need to be Thailand’s top priorities. Therefore, Thai policy instruments should promote equal distribution of socioeconomic resources and close the digital divide, accelerate digital talent cultivation to fill the talent gap, build partnership networks that support transnational governance in cyberspace, promote third-party market cooperation, and share the reciprocal profits of development.
Keywords: digital economy, digital divide, SDGs, constructivism, Thailand