Jobs, Wages and Napoleon Dynamite: The Hard Data on Thailand's Economy [Season 4, Episode 36]

Jobs, Wages and Napoleon Dynamite: The Hard Data on Thailand's Economy [Season 4, Episode 36]

It's an extra-long show this week as Greg interviews Jessica Vechbanyongratana, a professor at the faculty of Economics at Chulalongkorn University, about the numbers that make up Thailand's economy.

Beginning with Thailand's notable jump up the list of countries with the biggest inequality gap, Jessica explains the methodologies and data that led to the change - although as she mentions, depending on what data you look at during what year, Thailand may not necessarily be any more unequal than a country like the United States.

Next, they tackle the question of the minimum wage and the average monthly income of residents of Bangkok vs other areas of Thailand, with Greg drawing an interesting analogy between that and Napoleon Dynamite (you see, Bangkok - like Napoleon Dynamite - tends to throw a bomb into many predictive models).

The two also cover how teaching is considered a really good job in Thailand, how Jessica's students are usually overly optimistic about the wages they'll earn upon graduation, and finish with an addendum - recorded just the other night - on the devastating effect the Coronavirus is having on Thailand.

And don't miss our patron Thomas' sweet DJ sets on Twitch!

As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special swag from us. And we'll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Episoder(562)

AI vs The Big Mango: What ChatGPT 4o and Gemini Know (and don't know) about Bangkok [S7.E27]

AI vs The Big Mango: What ChatGPT 4o and Gemini Know (and don't know) about Bangkok [S7.E27]

Greg and Ed perform an interesting test of the current state of AI: can you actually trust what different AI's have to say about Bangkok and Thailand? Greg uses ChatGPT, while Ed is a Google guy throu...

9 Jul 202432min

Blending Fact & Fiction: Paul & Yuangrat Wedel Return to Discuss Their Novels Set in 1900s Siam Part 2 [S7.E26]

Blending Fact & Fiction: Paul & Yuangrat Wedel Return to Discuss Their Novels Set in 1900s Siam Part 2 [S7.E26]

This is Part Two of Greg and Ed's interview with Paul and Yuangrat Wedel, returning guests to the show who previously talked about their book "Radical Thought, Thai Mind." This time around the fascina...

2 Jul 202443min

Blending Fact & Fiction: Paul & Yuangrat Wedel Return to Discuss Their Novels Set in 1900s Siam [S7.E25]

Blending Fact & Fiction: Paul & Yuangrat Wedel Return to Discuss Their Novels Set in 1900s Siam [S7.E25]

Greg and Ed interview Paul and Yuangrat Wedel, returning guests to the show who previously talked about their book "Radical Thought, Thai Mind." This time around the fascinating couple discuss their t...

25 Jun 202438min

Ed's City Review: Bangkok vs Hong Kong - Which One Comes Out on Top? [S7.E24]

Ed's City Review: Bangkok vs Hong Kong - Which One Comes Out on Top? [S7.E24]

Continuing our regional focus of late, Greg and Ed discuss Ed's recent trip to Hong Kong and how it compares to big, bad Bangkok. Ed begins with a big caveat: he's not really much of a traveler, and h...

18 Jun 202439min

Regional Podcast Pals: Joah McGee on Covering Tragedy & Hope on Insight Myanmar [S7.E23]

Regional Podcast Pals: Joah McGee on Covering Tragedy & Hope on Insight Myanmar [S7.E23]

Wrapping up our short series on our regional podcast peers, Greg interviews Joah McGee from the Insight Myanmar Podcast. Joah begins by explaining his early life in Myanmar and how he initially went t...

11 Jun 202436min

Bangkok Devaluation: A Few Things That Used to Matter…But Don't Anymore [S7.E22]

Bangkok Devaluation: A Few Things That Used to Matter…But Don't Anymore [S7.E22]

In a possible new series, Greg and Ed discuss things that have become less important or meaningful since they began living in Thailand. In short, stuff that we used to value a lot that just seems not ...

4 Jun 202431min

Regional Podcast Pals: Mike Tatarski on Producing the Vietnam Weekly from Ho Chi Minh City [S7.E21]

Regional Podcast Pals: Mike Tatarski on Producing the Vietnam Weekly from Ho Chi Minh City [S7.E21]

Greg interviews Mike Tatarski of the Vietnam Weekly podcast. Mike begins by explaining the podcast originated out of his Substack newsletter of the same name. After taking a course in 'entrepreneurial...

28 Mai 202446min

Looking Back on the 2006 Coup and Why We're Still Feeling it Today [S7.E20]

Looking Back on the 2006 Coup and Why We're Still Feeling it Today [S7.E20]

Greg and Ed revisit the 2006 coup in Thailand and reminisce about the oddness but also impactfulness of the experience. Ed begins with a quick recap of the career of Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionair...

21 Mai 202436min

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