An Advocacy Coalition Framework Analysis of Human Trafficking Policy in Thailand

• In Event: International Mobility and Policy Dilemmas: New Insights from Asia and the Americas

Abstract

This paper applies the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) to the policy subsystem surrounding human trafficking in Thailand. Despite increasing scholarly and policy attention to human trafficking over the past two decades, few studies have used theory-driven frameworks to explain how coalitions of actors shape and influence anti-trafficking policy in Southeast Asia. Drawing on a review of government reports, international assessments, academic literature, and NGO publications, this paper identifies two dominant advocacy coalitions in Thailand: the Human Rights and Victim Protection Coalition and the National Security and Economic Interests Coalition. These coalitions diverge in their core beliefs, strategies, and preferred policy instruments—framing trafficking respectively as a human rights violation demanding survivor-centered support and international compliance, or as a migration and law enforcement issue that must be managed to preserve state sovereignty and economic stability.
Using ACF concepts, the paper maps the evolution of Thailand’s anti-trafficking policies from 1997 to the present, highlighting the influence of external shocks—including U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report downgrades, the Rohingya trafficking scandal, and European Union trade threats—as catalysts for legal and institutional reform. The paper also evaluates the extent of policy-oriented learning, concluding that while instrumental learning is evident in legal amendments and institutional coordination, deeper conceptual learning remains limited, particularly within security-focused agencies. The paper discusses the limitations of both the ACF in this political context and of the present study, which relies primarily on secondary data. Nonetheless, the ACF proves useful in capturing the dynamic interplay between belief-driven coalitions in shaping policy outcomes. Thailand’s case illustrates the importance of sustained international engagement and inter-coalitional collaboration for meaningful policy change in complex governance environments such as human trafficking.

Author

• Dani DiMuzio, Clemson University
  Presenting Author