University's students taking their visit at Kamphaengphet Town Municipality Office

About 50 students at Social Science Faculty from KPP Rajabat University were taking their out class study by visiting the KPP Town Office.  I gave the 60 mins' lecturing on the Local Government's from and functions. Also the day-to-day business of the town was provided for better understanding on the local affairs.  Issues on local administration and its challenges were clearly explained. There were two key issues: less public participation through out the process of local administration and the problem of 3Es. (Economy, Effectiveness, and Efficiency).  The challenges were how to increase trust amongst stakeholders to elevate higher participatory both in the local body and people in the communities, and how to deal with the 3Es problem properly.   

"We need to build trust amongst stakeholders to voluntarily cooperate in social activities. But the question is how to to build trust?" Let's thinking about social capital....." 

Date 26 Sept 2011

IT'S A HARD DAY

Look at them!!!!

Making report on Greece Financial Crisis

Last session of the IPE course, four groups of students made their report on Greece's debt crisis. What are the causes of the crisis, to what extend the crisis impacted on the international sphere. I was surprised by the students when first group deeply surveyed into the root of the crisis and made wonderful critics on the solutions. This was more than my expectation.  The second group explained more on the theoretical analysis on the Greece's case of crisis.  The third group focused on the measurement of the Greece's government to mitigate the crisis and the China's role as the hegemon to help Greece by buying bonds and assets.

Very appreciated when the fourth group linked other disciplines to analyse Greece's crisis. Moreover, this group initially suggest how to solve the crisis, for instance, establishing the financial mechanism which should be more flexible and easy to access to facilitate the market functions and to enhance the economic growth and boost the currency flow in domestic economy.

"Greece should accept being debt and cool down to solve the crisis, let's the market do it function naturally."

"To spend less, and reduce government's expenditure on unnecessary programs. Increasing taxes may need to proposed to different industries, however this may not bring stimulation to market at all." 

 

"There is no way out for Greece since Greece was not able to borrow international financial insitutes due to large debts. As the government tried to solve the problem by increasing taxes, the labor union protested.  Moreover, the unemployed was unsolved-but tended to increase."  To stimulate export market was not possible due to the money rely on EURO value, this strong value made Greece's export goods and service were higher price." 

"Postmodern was right, the world is unstable, progress is illusory." 

"China's role on Greece's crisis is changing the World arrangement.  China is moving into the core, the Greece  is moving away from the core to periphery." 

International Political Economy (cont.)

International Political Economy is not about 'States' and 'Markets' since the world is more complex than two faces of state and market. To understand, the IPE with state and market is oversimplified.  The four critical perspectives demonstrated to students today.

1. Rational Choice Perspective- it is individual and his interest who influences influence the states and drives the markets. Everyone prefer the better off.  The best choice to achieve his objective.
2. Green Perspective- Nature is a key actor should concert to the security, freedom, and justice. It's the linkage between global and local.  "Think Globally, Act Locally".  The Global problem requires local solution.
3. Feminist Perspective- argued that it is the relation of men and women who made this world-not state act or market force.  Women say "We can make it"
4. Postmodern Perspective- this perspective can not find its clear definition but mostly attacks to the main stream approach.  If you want to know what is the postmodern, we should try to answer this question, "What the postmodern do?", instead. 

International Political Economy's Class

It is wonderful to have the whole students from military bases from various divisions in my class.  The course was instructed  4 weeks term on the International Political Economy (IPE). The fist and second week were about the history of the IPE and its perspectives such as Mercantilism, Liberal, Structural perspectives. The Mercantilism simply focus on the national interests and stand on the zero-sum game that the winner gains from the losers' expense.  Liberalism means "Hand off the market".  This cult intends to keep the state away from the market mechanism and its functions.  Also, the two faces of individual interest and competitiveness are the invisible mechanism to make balancing of interests from both suppliers and consumers.  This Adam Smith called "The Invisible Hand".  Last perspective is structural perspective which explains the social phenomenon with class structure and the relations of production.  Dependency Theory and World System Theory are included within the structuralist.  The third week, the class was asked to pick up a case study on the European Financial Crisis where several EU members have been in debt especially, public debt which was over than 60 % of the GDP.  Amongst them, Greece and Italy were the most critical.  How the world community gave a helping hand to solve the crisis.  The "White Horse" from the East is China.  Why China proposed to help the EU market?  What perspectives suited to explain the European Financial Crisis?  Making in separate groups, the students would spend their time in the University library to sort out and collect relevant documents to support their claims.  On the fourth week, each group must submit their reports and make a 10 minutes presentation in front of the class.  Last week, we concluded the course and make commend if needed. The students sat on desk and make the test.  I would like to tell you that the class of military officers most were good students.  G.L charm!

Goodbye Korea

Spending last day by saying good words to everyone, I packed my bag and ready to go.  The closing ceremony was not too long.  Closing speech made by Prof Kim who was not often to meet. I was impressed by his speech when he encouraged participant to start establishing a CDM project to save our planet.  I was invited to say a few words about our training's experiences and I made it more longer enough than Rajes wanted.  However, I'm done.  After that, Dr. Viet from Vietnam and Ms Maroon from the Philippines made their speech on how their feeling was when must leaving.  Everyone made the best of speech to express sincerity on the training course.  I realised that the training course was wonderful except I was not that kind of person who suited to the training regarding to ages' condition.

I arrived at the airport for departure in the afternoon.  I had two hours for a quick shopping.  The only thing I could do right now was buy what I saw immediately.  Didn't even thing about the optimal benefits regarding to economic reason, just bought it.  Surprisingly, a group of people wearing traditional dress back to history walked pass visitors, so I took them photos. 

Not often to see Multi-national corporation exsiting in Korea except Starbucks

On the plane, there was a 70 years old lady who suffered from legs pain. She owned a seat next to me.  I was thinking to myself that this woman was gonna make me in trouble cause I had to cross over her if I wanted to go to the toilet.  She must be a trouble maker indeed.  But I was extremely wrong when she started conversations with me cuasing me feel guilty for accusing her.  She was friendly.  I didn't believe when she kept a glass of orange juice for me when I slept and held it to me when I awoke. I can say she was too kind to stranger like me.  On flight, we became more closer. And said goodbye when arriving at Bangkok. Back home!...

Solid Waste Management Training Crouse in Korea (Continue..)

This page was not chronological. I placed some photos unrelated to time order. However, this page would give you some idea about Korea.   This was my first fresh coffee cup of the training course. It drove me mad waiting for my favorite single shot hot expresso.  Familiar taste of the coffee rapidly flew into my mouth just once. 

Mr. Pasat, Sri Lanka participant was happy when having a seat close to Korea Camera girl.  I would like to tell you that she was friendly and nice when you were closing to here.  No need to prove if you just look at this photo, then you would know how happy they were. What I was telling you is true.

The Nijindo was used to be solid waste disposal site in 18 century. It was so close to the Han river. The city had restored it and turn it to the recreation area with three main parks with different function. There were lots of stories I could not tell you in one page of my blogger. 

I don't know how to describe this picture, really.