The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

250 Laurence D. Stifel
VIllage 1930 1950 1970
Nl Assumption A 60.6% 66.0% 61.0%
Assumption B 60.3 66.4 61.0
N2 Assumption A 66.4 70.3 70.3
Assumption B 68.4 72.0 70.3
N3 Assumption A 51.2 47.8 50.7
Assumption B 52.2 48.0 50.7
Al Assumption A 55.5 57.9 54.3
Assumption B 54.6 59.0 54.3
A2 Assumption A 53.8 54.1 56.4
Assumption B 5bi 54.0 56.4
A3 Assumption A 54.6 57.8 60.9
Assumption B 58.5 59.9 60.9
Inspection of the above trends indicates that the top 20 percent of
the landholders in the six villages experienced mixed fortunes over these
four decades.
Only two groups (A2 and A3) experienced consistently
strengthened positions, while three (N 1, N3, and A 1) held approximately
the same share of land in 1970 as they did in 1930. Shares of land
ownership remained rea.sonably stable and no common patterns are
apparent in spite of the marked economic disruptions caused by the world
depression, the World War, the Korean war boom and the present conventional
wisdom about dramatic increases in inequality.9
The degree of concentration can alternatively be measured by the
Gini coefficient, a summary index which has the advantage over the
9) The median share of total land in the six villages held by the top 20 percent
of the landowners was 59.5 percent in 1950 and 58.6 percent in 1970. This
can be compared to the results of the 196 3 Census of Agriculture that
tabulated the size of cultivated holdings, excluding those held exclusively by
tenants owning no land of their own. For the entire Central Plain, the top 20
percent of such cultivated holdings accounted for approximately 50 percent
of total cultivated land. This percentage could be expected to be somewhat
lower than the share held by the top 20 percent of the landowners in this study
since their holdings include surplus land rented out for others to cultivate.
National Statistical Office, Census of Agriculture :/.963 1
Centr{Zl Region
(Ban¥kok), Tab!~ 1, pp. q.t ~~