Waiting Over Generations: Anthropology of the Poor’s Waiting Time and Thailand Social Policy

Abstract

This research article aims at presenting some parts of data analysis and synthesis results collected by anthropological fieldwork in 10 households in Phitsanulok province. These ten households qualify the definition of Transgenerational poverty household given in the 9^th objective of the Thirteenth National Economic and Social Development Plan (2023-2027) which are poor, lack of saving money, highly dependency between household members and low educational level. The main argument of the article is that the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of previous educational policies and related social policies remain the problem of intergenerational transmission of poverty. During the period of waiting time for social policy which helps ending an intergenerational transmission of poverty, the poor, from one generation to the next, lost their life chances. According to literature review on waiting time concept, the author generates conceptual framework for fieldwork data analysis that the poor’s waiting time consists at least three meanings; firstly, poverty remains and is being transmitted over generation. Secondly, the waiting time for educational policy that helps breaking intergenerational transmission of poverty is a time of losing life chances such as dropping out from school and becoming semi-skilled and unskilled labor. Lastly, the previous educational policies help enhance the poor’s life chances, but they are not effective enough to end transgenerational poverty. The research data written in this article will be analyzed under conceptual framework mentioned above and will be synthesized with some policy recommendations.