Modern public administration and legal adaptation in the digital age and a case study of Thailand
Keywords:
Modern public administration, legal adaptation, digital age, lawAbstract
Thailand is experiencing significant technological changes in the digital era that directly impact public administration, especially Thai legal frameworks. This academic article aims to 1) analyze the necessity for Thai laws to adapt to the digital transition and 2) explore legal issues and propose approaches to improve laws in alignment with digital-age public administration. The study findings indicate that 1) the government's digital transformation affects numerous laws, as Thai legislation tends to be outdated and unable to keep pace with change. This necessitates legal improvements across multiple domains, from personal data protection, cybersecurity, and electronic transactions to online crimes, digital economy, and workers' rights to appropriately support technological changes. 2) To ensure laws can effectively respond to global changes, the government should modernize Thai legislation to align with the digital world, particularly in seven key areas: (1) Personal Data Protection Law, (2) Cybersecurity Law, (3) Digital Economy and Platform Taxation Law, (4) Platform Labor Law, (5) Artificial Intelligence and Technology Ethics Law, (6) Cross-Border Data Governance Law, and (7) Online Crime Law. These legal improvement frameworks will help the government adapt to global conditions in a timely manner, enhance citizen protection, and enable the state to manage the economy and national security efficiently, creating stability for both government and citizens as Thailand transitions to modern public administration in a peaceful and secure manner.
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