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Why does Thailand have so fewer mentally ill and drug addicted homeless, despite its government spending so much less on social programs for the homeless?

• afarrell 10y ago
  Perhaps for the same reason that head injury rates were lower in WWI before steel helmets were introduced: the mortality rate was higher.
  • lostlogin 10y ago
    That's a particularly negative take, but would be interesting if true. Do you have any reason to believe it is? I'm not even sure how you would measure this. Suicide rate against attempted suicide rate? Other mental health stats?
    • afarrell 10y ago
      No clue. Idle speculation on my part.
• technomancy 10y ago
  I live in Thailand (but not in a big city). Out here it's because if you find yourself without a home, you can go build one out of bamboo. If you have some friends to help you, it can be done in a week.
  • 0max 10y ago
    The key being that the municipality won't give you crap for an "illegal settlement" until the land you're occupying suddenly becomes worth something.
    • dsfyu404ed 10y ago
      It doesn't have to be worth squat. Your "settlement" just has to rub someone with too much time on their hands the wrong way.
  • aminok 10y ago
    Repealing zoning and building restrictions would go a long way to making the West the same. Land titles enforcement would still put up impediments to construction of makeshift housing, but making it so anyone with land can build a structure without needing a building permit or being limited by zoning would make the creation of housing supply significantly easier. Land is not all that expensive, after all.