Thailand's bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a crucial opportunity to address deep-rooted structural weaknesses, particularly rule-of-law shortcomings that undermine investor confidence and competitiveness, a forum was told.
Speaking at the Thailand Rule of Law Leadership Forum 2026: Competitiveness and OECD Readiness recently, Kittipong Kittayarak, chairman of the Thailand Institute of Justice and a member of Thailand's OECD accession oversight committee, said the country's slow economic growth reflected declining confidence among both domestic and foreign investors.
He argued Thailand's excessive and outdated regulations, combined with broad discretionary powers granted to state officials, had contributed to perceptions of corruption and weakened the country's competitive position.
