Bangkok
As a scientist, particularly as an empirical economist, one is always seeking regularities and generalizations. A self-evident one is that income inequalities breed crime. Except this seems to go out the window for the most part in Thailand. There is much inequality here, even if poverty is not acute. There are plenty of people making ridiculous amounts of money - many of the owners of flats in the condo I live in, for instance, are so rich they don't even bother to rent out their apartments. They just buy them and let them sit indefinitely. And yet, there is very little violent crime, and in fact, there is hardly even any fear of petty crime, ie, having your pocket picked or your chain snatched. Intriguing.
As a scientist, particularly as an empirical economist, one is always seeking regularities and generalizations. A self-evident one is that income inequalities breed crime. Except this seems to go out the window for the most part in Thailand. There is much inequality here, even if poverty is not acute. There are plenty of people making ridiculous amounts of money - many of the owners of flats in the condo I live in, for instance, are so rich they don't even bother to rent out their apartments. They just buy them and let them sit indefinitely. And yet, there is very little violent crime, and in fact, there is hardly even any fear of petty crime, ie, having your pocket picked or your chain snatched. Intriguing.
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