Author
Assoc Prof Panthip Pruksacholavit
Organisation/Institution
Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Law
Country
THAILAND
Panel
Labor and Employment Law
Title
Labor Law and Populism in Southeast Asia
Abstract
This paper is part of a book chapter. It explores populism which continues to thrive in Southeast Asia with its monumental and variegated impacts on institutionalized labor law reforms which are best observed in sample countries consisting of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. For these countries, this chapter focuses on the populist regimes of (i) former President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines during his presidential term from 2016 to 2022; (ii) former President Joko Widodo (popularly known as ‘Jokowi’) of Indonesia during his two presidential terms from 2014 to 2019, and 2019 to 2024; and, (iii) former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand during his prime ministerial term from 2001 to 2006. This paper develop a comprehensive legal and epistemological framework for understanding notions of populism vis-à-vis labor law in Southeast Asia using Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia as case studies; then compare the notions of populism vis-à-vis labor law among Southeast Asian countries with focus on the three countries (i.e., inter-country approach), as well as those of other regions (i.e., inter-regional approach). The paper will then determine, assess, and compare the variegated impact of Southeast Asian populism on the institutionalization and enforcement of labor law in these 3 particular countries. This paper provides an empirical and objective evaluation of labor legislation across Southeast Asian countries as influenced by populist regimes, while looking for patterns of similarity and divergence. Ultimately, this paper is about proving or disproving the hypothesis that despite the popular rhetoric of populists for alleviating the social and economic conditions of ‘the people’ (i.e., working class), populism has no significant impact on labor reform in Southeast Asia.
Biography
Panthip Pruksacholavit joined the Faculty of Law at Chulalongkorn University in 2014 and is currently an Associate Professor of Law. Her primary research interests focus on Labor and Employment Law as well as Comparative Law. Panthip serves as a Series Editor for Sweet and Maxwell’s Thai Law Book Series. Among her publications, she contributed a chapter on Thai Labor and Employment Law to International Labor and Employment Laws, published by the American Bar Association's Section of Labor and Employment Law. Additionally, she has authored notable Thai labor law textbooks, including Workmen Compensation Law in Thailand and Thai Labor Protection Law. Panthip is a member of the Steering Committee of the Labor Law Research Network (LLRN), serves on the Executive Committee of the Asian Society of Labour Law, and is a committee member of the Thai Society of Labor Law.
