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Group Discussion 2
The Legitimacy of Political Institutions in the Midst of Social

Volatility

Today, there is enormous social volatility due to various factors. Development
of technology enables new business forms that lead to either wealth or loss
overnight. Innovative communication enhance recognition to people in terms of

information’s content and quantity. People’s opinions will vary depending on
individual perspective and the parenting of each generation, so it is important for all
to learn how to adapt and live together in society.

In the context of democracy in Thailand, social volatility has an important

effect on power structures and power enforcement by existing political institutions.
People who embrace ideas of “active citizenry”, have high expectations regarding
administration and political participation, but they often find government and its
functions to be ineffective and disappointing. For instance, the legislative initiative

process as a mechanism for public participation seems to be illusory due to
domination of the legislature and the executive branch of government in both
content and process. Furthermore, there is a lack of confidence in the oversight
organizations involved in the procedures for inspection of the exercise of state

power. In addition, public proposals for alternative approaches to the structure of
political institutions have received little response from the legislative branch, the
executive branch, and oversight organizations. Accordingly, conflicts still exist and
are likely to intensify and thus political institutions will be insecure. There is some

doubt about the effectiveness of dealing with problems by referring to legitimacy on
the basis of the current power relationships among political institutions. Therefore,
problems remain unsolved, and confidence in the government cannot be established.

In order to legitimize political institutions, there is a need to build recognition

and understanding of the problems, design an appropriate approach to deal with
problems, and find a system that suits the diversity in society. This group aims to
find ways for political institutions to accommodate people’s participation and fulfil
their expectations. The group will consider how we can design a new functional

framework of political institutions in a changing landscape, focusing on the structure
and relationships between the legislative branch, the executive branch, and
independent organs.