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Chapter 2
Building Awareness of Surrounding Problems at the Local, National, and International
Levels

Hello, my name is Panuwat Panduprasert. I’m from the Faculty of Political Science and
Public Administration, Chiang Mai University, and I’m happy to be talking to everyone
today.
This is Chapter 2 of our course “Citizenship”. The title of this chapter is “Building Awareness
of Surrounding Problems at the Local, National, and International Levels”. At the core of this
chapter is the word “problems”. As citizens, we should be aware that not everything is good
in the world and not everyone is happy with life and how things are going. Problems exist,
and they exist at multiple levels. In this chapter, we’ll talk about three main types of
problems: local problems, national problems, and international problems.

Let us start with local problems. The first kind of local problems we’ll explore today is
personal finance. Why do we have to learn about personal finance? The answer can be traced
back to the year 2016, during which Thailand had 71.2 percent of household debt per GDP,
making Thailand a country with one of the highest household debt levels in Asia.
Learning about personal finance helps us manage money, savings, investments, and risk
diversification. When people accrue bad debt, that will inevitably have a negative impact on
the nation. For instance, when a family is in debt, the members will live under stress which
undermines their mental health. Being in debt may even negatively affect work efficiency and
decrease the company's or the organization’s productivity. What’s more, problems caused by
stress could adversely impact physical health and add up to the burden on medical expenses.
In this sense, one problem may lead to another, and negative effects can be both short-term
and long-term.
 In the US, medical students who took loans for tuition fees will accrue debts of
190,000 USD per person on average. What happened is the greater amount of debt a
medical student accumulated, the more likely they are opting to study specialized
medical fields that generate high income even if they are not truly interested in those
fields. Being in debt can be very stressful and bad for your mental health.
 But it can also affect the wider society:
o Mental health of people

o Productivity of companies and organizations

o Medical expenses

o Quality of life
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Many of you may also have heard of something called the ‘poverty line’. The poverty line
was established by the World Bank to measure the number of people in the world who are in
poverty. The poverty line in 2015 was 1.90 USD per day. That means if a person earns less
than 1.90 USD per day, that person will be classified as a poor person. We should be aware,
however, that the poverty line can change over time.
In 2017, around 14 million Thais registered for the State Welfare Scheme for low-income
people. The State Welfare Program has been in operation since 2017. This national program
allowed people with low-income to have a State Welfare Card or “Poor Person Card”. These
cards can be used as a discount on a wide range of household and daily expenses including
groceries, cooking gas and travel costs. With the registration of about 14 million people, it
shows that over 20 percent of Thai people believed that they had financial problems or, at
least, were willing to receive state assistance.
To avoid personal financial problems, students are encouraged to keep records of their
incomes and expenses. Expenses should be recorded daily and they can be divided into 3
categories:
1. Regular expenditure, which covers expenses that we know in advance must be paid
monthly, such as car payments, home payments, utility bills, life insurance costs, etc.
2. Emergency expenses such as expenses arising from accidents, illnesses and other
unexpected events which could potentially cost a lot of money.
3. Special expenses such as money spent on making merit, wedding gifts and social events.

If you want to save money, there are two main methods:

1. After spending the money you got each month, the remaining money should be saved.
2. When there is an income, money should be saved immediately, and the remaining
money is for spending.
The second method, which recommends saving at the forefront, will allow us to manage our
finances better than adopting the first method. So, the recommended method for students to
save money is to deduct a certain amount from the monthly income and then spend the
remaining money. The suitable proportion to start could be 10 percent of the income.
Another important issue is investing. Students should have some knowledge on investing
because your savings are vulnerable to inflation. Statistical data revealed that if we deposit
money in a commercial bank in Thailand, we will lose immediately because inflation rates
are higher than deposits. Then, what financial products can we invest in? There are various
options, like investing in government bonds, gold, foreign currencies, equity funds such as
shares and stocks, and digital currencies. Investments come with risks, but it can be said that
the riskiest thing is we do not risk anything at all.
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Next, let’s move on to talk about the second kind of local problems, which is ‘personal
responsibility towards society’. When social responsibility is mentioned, we tend to think of
it as corporate social responsibility or officially known as CSR. The definition of CSR is " the
operation of a business with care for the stakeholders, economy, society and environment,
with morality, ethics as well as good governance to ensure that the activities are conducted
with honesty, transparency and fairness."
However, business corporations are not the only entities that should show social
responsibility. All individuals should likewise take part. Self-responsibility towards society
means “the existence in which care and attention are given to all interacting people either
directly or indirectly.”
We will mention a few specific problems related to personal responsibility. The first is
alcohol consumption. According to the World Health Organization statistical projections in
2016, Thai people aged 15 and over consume an average of 8.3 liters of alcohol per year, the
second highest level in Southeast Asia.
So, has the Thai state neglected to deal with the problem of alcohol consumption behavior of
Thais? The truth is: companies that sell alcohol in Thailand are not permitted to register their
companies to raise funds from the public on the stock market. However, public companies
can raise funds in foreign stock markets such as Singapore. Many other restrictions exist too,
which suggest that alcohol consumption problems are largely associated with personal
behaviors. Excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to significant problems including
drink-driving and other reckless behaviors. As such, it is important that students and others in
society learn to be responsible consumers of alcoholic drinks.
The second issue in this section is ‘adherence to traffic rules.’ In this regard, someone who
breaks traffic rules does not only endanger oneself but also other people. We are not talking
about just drivers of vehicles, but also pedestrians, users of public transport, and officials
involved in regulating traffic. One of the most common violations of traffic rules in Thailand
is the failure to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle. Statistical data also revealed that a
certain number of Thai motorists are still operating their vehicles carelessly and dangerously,
not adhering to traffic rules, and are not considerate to other motorists. That is clearly a lack
of social responsibility.
 Driving dangerously and inconsiderately can cause accidents.
 Losses of lives, permanent injuries and disabilities, property damages, medical costs,
costs for the government, etc.
 The government could improve things, but a lot also depends on the personal
responsibility of people.
 This is also related to alcohol consumption problems.
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The third kind of local problems we will look at is waste management. Again, although we
focus on individual behaviors, the effects can be felt throughout society. In Thailand, on
average, one person can produce as much as 1.14 kilograms of waste a day. The waste that
can be beneficially managed is only 21 percent, and 35 percent of the waste is correctly
disposed of. Proper waste minimization and disposal, according to the definition of the
Pollution Control Department, can be carried out by 7 methods, which are:
Refuse – Refusing to use polluting items or items that are difficult to degrade, such as
refusing to use Styrofoam boxes –
Refill – Choosing products that can be refilled. For example, instead of buying bottled liquid
soap every single time, we can choose to buy liquid soap sold as a bag instead of buying a
new bottle. At present, there are stores that refill soap and shampoo so that users can bring
their containers to fill these products at the shops. In Thailand, this “Refill Station” that
provides a variety of products is located at the BTS Onnut, Bangkok.
- Return – products or containers can be returned; for example, soft drink containers and beer
bottles.
- Repair – Instead of buying new products, another option is to have our products such as
shoes, electrical appliances repaired. An issue of buying current products is that the warranty
often has short-term coverage, such as the 1-year warranty. That may cause many consumers
to choose to buy a new product rather than opting for the repair.
- Reuse – Reuse can be applied for daily life; for example, when the jam is finished, the jam
jar can be washed and reused for keeping used oil.
- Recycle – Recycling will occur when we see that an object is no longer useful to us and is to
be disposed. Correct recycling is to separate the discarded waste into hazardous waste, wet
waste, or dry waste.
- Reduce – Reducing waste usage can be done by reducing consumption, which will help us
minimize waste.

National problem 1: Aging Society

 In 2017, the elderly made up 15% of Thailand’s total population. This means that
Thailand has become an ageing society.
 Ageing Society = a society in which people aged 60 years old (and over) constitute
over 10 percent of the total population, or people aged 65 years old (and over)
constitute 7 percent of the total population.
 Aged Society = a society in which people aged 60 years old (and over) constitute over
20 percent of the total population, or people aged 65 years old (and over) constitute 14
percent of the total population.
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 Super Aged Society = a society in which people aged 65 years old (and over)
constitute over 20 percent of the total population.

 The emergence of an ageing society will inevitably affect economic growth.

Economically, it is expensive for a country to support the elderly. The elderly are not
expected to work or contribute to the economy.
 The burden is on the working-age population.
 Social issues and government policies --- welfare for the elderly, elderly care, etc.

Problems related to the ageing society in Thailand

 In Thailand, workers in formal occupations can expect to receive benefits and
pensions after they retire.
 However, there are many “informal workers” in Thailand. Informal workers may not
have financial security during their retirement.
 Informal workers outnumber formal workers.
 Are there enough doctors and medical professionals to look after the elderly? Are
there enough care homes?
 It appears that culturally, the task of looking after the elderly is expected to be done
by their families and children rather than the government or charities.

National problem 2: Fraud and corruption

 National problem in Thailand but also in other countries.
 Can corruption have beneficial effects? Only in specific situations:
 Corruption could speed up government processes if the normal bureaucratic
processes are very slow.
 Corruption could encourage civil servants to work harder if they expect to be
compensated for their hard work.
However, these are short-term benefits and not good for any country in the long run.
A corrupt and unstable government tends to spend on education less than that of a stable and
uncorrupted government. The higher degree of corruption being perceived, the greater the
negative effect on investment and the country's economy.
 Why is corruption a problem in some countries but not others?
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 Can we explain it using just one factor? Or are there many factors involved e.g.
society, culture, institutions, etc.?
 It is difficult to measure corruption because corruption tends to involve a high degree
of secrecy.
o The Corruption Perception Index --- a way to measure corruption (in the
public sector) based on people’s attitudes
o What can we do to solve this problem?

End impunity: Here it refers to effective law enforcement to ensure the corrupt are punished
and break the cycle of impunity.
- Reform public administration and finance management: Here it refers to reforms that
emphasize improving financial management and strengthening the role of auditing agencies.
- Promote transparency and access information: Countries successful at tackling corruption
tend to support government openness, freedom of the press, and access to information.
- Empower citizens: Empowering them to scrutinize governmental affairs is a sustainable
approach that helps to build mutual trust between citizens and government. An example of
public scrutiny by the civil society that improved the government’s work process is the
monitoring of irregularities in local elections by the people.
- Close international loopholes: Without access to the international financial system, corrupt
public officials would not be able to move or launder their looted money abroad to exploit the
loopholes that make tracking the flows of money difficult.

International problems:
In 2015, United Nations (UN) established Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which
aimed to address 17 crucial objectives:
1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
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10. Reduced Inequalities

11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life On Land
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals
Sustainable Development Goals remained the desired goals of the UN until 2030, which is a
15-year-term beginning from 2015 onwards.
Goal #1 No Poverty. The UN has foreseen that the economic growth of large countries such
as China and India will contribute to the goal’s achievement. Since 1980, over 800 million
Chinese citizens have been relieved from poverty, and since 1990, more than 1.1 billion
people have been out of poverty. Today, only 9 percent of population in East Asian countries
are still in poverty. However, inequalities still exist. Another problem that the UN is paying
attention to is problems caused by natural disasters, which will greatly affect middle-low-
income countries and low-income countries.
Goal #2 Zero Hunger. In 2014-2016, the number of malnourished populations decreased, but
there were still a large number of malnourished people — as many as 793 million people, or
11 percent of the world's population. Another problem is “Food Waste”, which means food
that is not consumed and becomes wasted.
Goal #3 Good Health and Well-being. The goal of the UN is to reduce the mortality rate of
newborns - children under 5 years old, reduce the mortality rate of mothers during childbirth,
prevent untimely pregnancy and early pregnancy, reduce the rate of HIV infection,
tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis. Apart from these, there are also issues of infection from
dirty water, the lack of good sanitation that the UN aims to improve the situations.
Goal #4 Quality Education. The goal is to allow all populations the opportunity to access
education and receive a quality education while promoting lifelong learning opportunities.
Goal #5 Gender Equality. Women and girls continue to receive basic opportunities and rights
that are not equal to males. Efforts to achieve equality must come from passing the laws that
support the rights of women. Problems that occur with women and girls include child
marriage, sexual abuse, and violence, female genital circumcision, and women’s unwilling
sexual intercourse with their spouse or partners. The number of women in political positions
and in important management positions is lower than that of men.
Goal #6 Clean Water and Sanitation. There are still 2 billion people on this planet who live in
countries that are at risk of water shortage.
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Goal #7 Affordable and Clean Energy. In 2014, more than 1.06 billion people did not yet
have access to electricity.
Goal #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth. This goal focuses on comprehensive
sustainable economic development, covering the areas of improving the number of the
unemployed, labor productivity, access to financial services, and economic development that
can be measured by using GDP growth as the main indicator.
Goal #9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. This goal's emphasis is on the investment in
research and development, the reduction of the environmental impact caused by the industrial
process, aviation transport services, and access to telephone network signals.
Goal #10 Reduced Inequalities. The definition of reduced inequality as prescribed by SDGs
focuses on international inequalities. Efforts to solve this problem involve pushing for
developing countries to have a greater role in international decision-making.
Goal #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities. In 2015, there were around 54 percent, or
almost 4 billion people, living in the cities. The number is estimated to increase to 5 billion
by 2030. Problems in this regard include overcrowding, air pollution, and the existence of
slums, which may lack sufficient sanitation levels.
Goal #12 Responsible Consumption and Production. This focuses on reducing the amount of
toxic substances and hazardous waste that occurred by the production and consumption
process.
Goal #13 Climate Action. This goal aims to achieve international cooperation to resolve
issues related to climate change. In doing so, developed countries will help developing
countries by providing financial support on climate challenges.
Goal #14 Life Below Water. This goal focuses on the protection of oceans and other bodies of
water around the world as well as marine life.
Goal #15 Life On Land. One problem that the world is experiencing is the loss of topsoil and
desertification, which will have a negative impact on 1 billion people. The losses in
biodiversity, which are accelerated by climate change, have put some species at risk of
extinction.
Goal #16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. This goal is directly concerned with
sustainable development in which people receive equal and thorough access to the justice
process. However, in reality, accessibility, efficiency, and credibility of the judicial process
remain unequal at both the national and regional levels. Important problems include human
trafficking and modern slavery.
Goal #17 Partnerships for the Goals. This goal’s objective is for states to cooperate in various
areas of development in a sustainable manner, including financial cooperation, cooperation in
communication and information technology, trade cooperation. These can be done by
collaborating to reduce the inequality between developed and developing countries.