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10. Laying the Tracks: The Thai Economy and Its Railways 1885-1935.
Kakizaki, Ichiro. february, 2005．
description
The significance of the railways to Thailand’s economic development has been underestimated in most Thai economic histories. This monograph details royal government policies towards railway development from the end of the 19th century to 1932, when it was overthrown by the Constitutional Revolution. The book also assesses the role and impact of the railways in Thailand’s economy: firstly, to what degree they reduced transport time and cost; and secondly, how they altered the flows of commodities and created the Bangkok-centered economy. The author uses unpublished public documents at the National Archives of Thailand, travel books, reports of inspection tours by officials, and newspaper articles to make these assessments. This is an English translation of his Japanese book, Thai Economy and Railways, 1885-1935, which was awarded the 17th Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Prize.