The special economic zone: A regulation of cross-border trading in a developing economy

Abstract

Special economic zones (SEZs) have been used by many developing countries as a policy tool to promote industrialization and economic transformation (Zeng, 2021). This qualitative research aims to explain the readiness that drives the development of the Tak special economic zone of government agencies and entrepreneurs located in Mae Pa subdistrict, Mae Sot district, in Tak province of Thailand, in terms of both its social and economic aspects. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten key informants, employing purposive sampling. Content analysis and NVivo software were used to analyse the qualitative data. The findings revealed that the main obstacles and problems in developing the Mae Pa subdistrict special economic zone to achieve sustainability in the operation of government agencies are unclear bureaucratic regulations and a lack of legislation supporting the work of related agencies at the national and local levels. By inviting the prime minister to work groups in various committees, the government should prioritise the subdistrict administrative organisation. A town plan with the establishment of a centre for the integration of the Tak special economic development zone of each area based on public opinion, particularly among those who will be affected by this development, should be designed.