Tracking the poor: the making of wealth and poverty in Thailand (1982‐1994) Available to Purchase

The paper tracks 77 households in two villages in Northeastern Thailand over a period of 12 years between 1982 and 1994. The survey data show that the “original” poor of 1982 have improved their position both absolutely and relatively, and the so‐styled “emergent” poor of 1994 comprise, in large part, a different set of households. The paper highlights the extent to which poor households are not condemned to poverty. This is explained largely in terms of the declining importance of agriculture in determining patterns of well‐being and the concomitant increase in the role of non‐farm activities.