Introduction; Rice price, poverty, and income distribution; The response of paddy supply to price changes; The effects of rice price changes on the rural farm wage rate; The effects of rice price changes on the calorie intake of consumers; The effects of rice price changes on the calorie intake of paddy farmers; The effects of rice price changes on incomes and food consumption of low-income people.

Extreme inequalities in income,wealth and power lie behind Thailand’s political turmoil. What are the sources of this inequality? Why does it persist, or even increase when the economy grows? How can it be addressed? The contributors to this important study—Thai scholars, reformers and civil servants—shed light on the many dimensions of inequality in Thailand, looking beyond simple income measures to consider land ownership, education, finance, business structures and politics. The contributors propose a series of reforms in taxation, spending and institutional reform that can address growing inequality. Inequality is among the biggest threats to social stability in Southeast Asia, and this close study of a key Southeast Asian country will be relevant to regional policy-makers, economists and business decision-makers, as well as students of oligarchy and inequality more generally.