The devil in the detail: Interpreting livelihood turbulence from a 25-year panel study from Thailand

Abstract

Tracking and explaining patterns and trajectories of social and economic change in the global South is a key challenge for geographers. Panel studies, though rare, offer a particularly rich alternative insight to more usual cross-sectional studies. Drawing on a 25-year longitudinal panel study of two villages in rural Thailand, this paper reveals the complexities of the processes underway, the shifting terrains of explanation, and the surprises that are easily overlooked in cross-sectional studies, particularly when it comes to household life chances and courses. The paper makes a case for the value of such approaches and the insights they can provide.