Improving effective performance of Thailand’s National Single Window (NSW)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current implementation of Thailand’s National Single Window and identify opportunities for improvement. The objectives of the study include: 1) assessing Thailand’s existing National Single Window, including its structure, function, agency and customer participation; 2) identifying problems with Thailand’s current NSW that could be resolved through improved function and process flow; 3) comparing Thailand’s NSW with other cases and identify potential solutions; and 4) providing recommendations that will improve border compliance effectiveness through Thailand’s National Single Window based on the findings. Implementation of the National Single Window, which began to be considered as a policy around 2005, is now substantially complete, but development activities and improvement are still ongoing. This study used a nested sequential qualitative-led mixed methods research design to investigate implementation of the National Single Window from the perspectives of multiple stakeholder groups. Data collection was conducted using a policy review (Phase 1), a questionnaire (n = 400) (Phase 2), and an open-ended questionnaire (n = 38) (Phase 3). The Phase 1 and Phase 3 data were analyzed using content analysis, while Phase 2 data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The analysis revealed that the National Single Window is currently being used and some aspects, such as implementation of import and export processes, is largely complete. This has provided benefits to users and agencies, especially cost and time reduction and an improvement in effectiveness in several dimensions. However, there are still some areas where improvements are needed, particularly concerning interagency coordination of processes, information sharing, and improvement of system stability. The study provides recommendations for continued development of the National Single Window based on these findings.