With the government's planning unit undergoing a restructuring to handle a loftier task -- to be a real think tank that shapes the country's long-term vision and mission and conducts research on future trends -- the challenge is obvious for the person who heads the prestigious organisation.
But Thosaporn Sirisamphand, the secretary-general of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), insists he can handle such a challenge.
Mr Thosaporn was officially appointed last July 4 as the new secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) after the position was left vacant for more than two months. The NESDB officially changed to the NESDC on Dec 29.
Formerly the secretary-general of the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission, Mr Thosaporn replaced Porametee Vimolsiri, who was appointed the permanent secretary of the Social Development Ministry.
Mr Thosaporn entered office amid big changes for the state planning unit under the NESDC Act, which is transforming the state planning unit. Under the new structure, the NESDC will comprise 24 members selected from related agencies, up from 15 now.
The council is required to establish a committee to drive the 20-year national strategy, plus a subcommittee to map out the action plan for the 20-year strategy. It's also empowered to establish a special committee to consider special issues.
The NESDC will be held responsible as usual for mapping out the country's five-year national social and economic development plan, which must comply with the changing social and economic environment and upgrade the country's overall competitiveness.
The council is tasked with mapping out development plans for each region in a bid to improve growth potential and competitiveness. It will also help improve regional development to become more efficient, more practical and compatible with the national strategy and the changing global environment.
The Southern Economic Corridor will be the first regional development plan handled by the NESDC. The cabinet in January approved the development of the corridor, including 116 projects worth 106.79 billion baht. The projects will be developed on a combined 300,000 square metres in Chumphon, Ranong, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat during 2019-22.
The northeastern development plan will be the next one drafted.
The NESDC secretary-general in traditional garb. One of Mr Thosaporn's objectives is to increase Thailand's gross national income per capita.
Regional development plans are required to conform to the country's 20-year national strategy plan for 2018-38. Under the 20-year plan, the government aims to narrow the widening income disparity gap in the country to 15 times within 20 years, down from 20 times.
The plan focuses particularly on the richest 10% and the poorest 10%.
To reduce the income gap, the state will focus on income distribution, economic development and legislative reform to give low-income groups access to education, economic opportunity and justice.
The government also aims to raise per capita income to US$15,000 (498,771 baht) a year, with average GDP growth of 5-6%. That goal further entails raising competitiveness to break into the global top 20.
Thai per capita income is $6,000 a year, and Thailand ranked 30th in the IMD World Competitiveness rankings in 2018, slipping from 27th in 2017.
"To strengthen the role of the NESDC to become a high-performing think-tank agency and talent centre for research and development is my priority mission," says Mr Thosaporn, 59. "I intend to build up the council to focus largely on research and development for future trends and function as a policy lab which can lead the overall public in terms of foresight."
Born into a family of business owners, Mr Thosaporn was head of the Department of Public Administration at Chulalongkorn University's Political Science Faculty from 1993 to 1996, his first experience learning the working processes of the public sector.
He was deputy president of Chulalongkorn University from 1996 to 2000, focusing on organisational and human resource development.
Mr Thosaporn resigned from the university and served as deputy secretary-general of King Prajadhipok's Institute from 2000 to 2003 at the request of secretary-general Borwornsak Uwanno.
During Thaksin Shinawatra's government, Mr Thosaporn in 2003 was appointed secretary-general of the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) under the Office of the Prime Minister, working there from 2003 to 2013.
He was secretary-general of the Office of the Higher Education Commission at the Education Ministry from 2014 to 2016. He was transferred back to secretary-general of the OPDC from 2016 to 2018, when he was tapped to lead the NESDB.
According to Mr Thosaporn, the Institute of Public Policy and Development under the NESDC is being established to conduct research on future trends. The government has already budgeted 100 million baht for fiscal 2019 to fund the new institute.
The cabinet last September also approved 1 billion baht during 2019-23 for the institute to conduct its research. Mr Thosaporn says the institute is expected to be in operation by this April.
"The institute will conduct foresight research and development on issues that help enable the government and the public to prepare ahead of future trends," he says. "The institute is not a bureaucratic agency. It enables us to offer an attractive salary to researchers in an attempt to persuade human resources to work for the institute, with an expectation of 20-30 researchers."
Mr Thosaporn says the agency is organising workshops among related strategic agencies and the private sector in order to decide this year which issues the institute will conduct R&D on.
The agency has spoken to several institutions such as Chulalongkorn University, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang and the Thai Chamber of Commerce on R&D cooperation.
"I've already talked with Chulalongkorn University on academic cooperation between the university and the institute," Mr Thosaporn says.
Chulalongkorn University will establish the School of Integrated Innovation, a new faculty for studies on foresight R&D such as smart cities, urban planning and preparations for the ageing society.
The institute's researchers will work with students to conduct research on public policy and foresight R&D.
Mr Thosaporn says the R&D will help the NESDC and other state agencies drive the country's development to meet the 20-year national strategy plan. The government has already approved 15 urgent issues of the master plan to be implemented beginning with the fiscal 2020 budget.
In the first five years (2019-23) of development based on requirements of the national strategy plan, gross national income per capita is targeted to increase by an average of 70,000 baht a year to reach 360,000 baht in 2023, up from 290,000 baht in 2019.
Economic growth is targeted at 5% a year from the 12th (2017-21) to the 15th (2033-37) economic and social national plan.
Growth in agriculture, industry and services/others is targeted at 3.8%, 4.6% and 5.4% in the 12th national plan.
"I have no worries about working here at the NESDC because I have enough experience in conducting planning and public policy," Mr Thosaporn says. "I may not have expertise on macroeconomics, but it's not a big deal because my team can help me on this issue."