The Parliament Budget Office (PBO) and the Shifting Budget Power in Thailand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61462/cujss.v55i2.3367Keywords:
Parliament Budget Office, Legislative Budget Control, Public Budgetary Process, Politics of BudgetingAbstract
In democratic countries, legislative roles in the public budget-making and oversight are indispensable. Nonetheless, over a century, the executive branches had gradually taken dominant roles over the public budgeting. Until recently, legislatures around the world, including Thai Parliament, have invented measures to regain the budget power. The parliament budget office (PBO) is among key institutional tools that has been installed to strengthen the legislative budget-making. This research paper is aimed at exploring Thai PBO roles and influences on the Parliament budget-making process. The researcher conducted documentary survey, interviewed with PBO officials, member of parliaments, and department officials, and hold seminars and workshops for data verification and interpretation during July 2021- november 2021. It is argued in this paper that, with the PBO supports, the Parliament’s budgetmaking process has been strengthened in many respects and has regained somewhat budgetmaking power, though the executive branch still dominates the power of the purse. However, it is noticeable the PBO’ performance has come to its maximum limit, while legislatures want the PBO to cope with more responsibilities. The Parliament, thus, should seek new policy solutions to levitate the capacity of the PBO.
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