Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 March 2016
Thailand and Japan both faced the threat of colonialism in the latter half of the nineteenth century. While geopolitical vulnerabilities provided Japan with a critical impetus for defensive modernization, they compelled the Siamese state to pursue a strategy of defensive underdevelopment. To understand this paradox, the article explores how variations in the “unequal treaties” imposed on Japan and Siam by Western powers shaped state interests in a policy area of vital importance to the two countries' predominantly agricultural economies: the rural land rights regime.
Earlier versions of this article were presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) and at the Political Economy Research Colloquium of the Department of Government, Cornell University. Helpful comments from Martin Dimitrov, Jing Tao, and two anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged. Charles Mehl and Tongroj Onchan of the Mekong Environment and Resource Institute helped facilitate field research in Thailand. The Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation in Stockholm and the Southeast Asia and International Political Economy programs of Cornell University provided financial support.Google Scholar
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