Malaysian government expenditure on higher
education is twice the level of Thailand (see Figure 4).
However, Thai universities have a broader resource
base and more administrative autonomy than their
counterparts in Malaysia. They receive only limited
financial support from the Thai government, and the
universities in this study generate a considerable
amount of their own funding through auxiliary
enterprises. For example, Mahidol University in
Thailand operates seven hospitals. Chulalongkorn
University owns considerable real estate in downtown
Bangkok which it rents. Both universities bid on and
receive contracts from government agencies, and
both sell research and consulting services to private
sector enterprises.