King Prajadhipok’s Institute Journal

Recasting and Redefining the Notion of Local Democracy in Thailand

Pornamarin Promgird, Banjerd Singkaneti, Warunya Sririn — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0700

The concept of modern local democracy aims to empower people by decentralizing power from the central government to local communities while ensuring that individuals within these communities have the right to demand that their preferences are met as fully as possible. The belief is that local democracy will increase more political participation among the populace. When people become engaged in politics, they will become more active, develop a sense of citizenship, gain confidence in their political efficacy, and participate in local development independently. In Thai society, when addressing decentralization and local democracy, there is still a tendency to limit the scope of meaning to only the election of the local administrative committee. Moreover, administration within local government organizations has not yet fully aligned with the principles of democratic self-government, which seek to expand the base of direct political participation at the local community level as much as possible. This article proposes to recast and redefine the meaning of local democracy in Thailand to follow the democratic path and help strengthen local communities.

Empowering Community Resilience and the "Public Sphere" Mechanism at the Provincial Level: Thailand’s Leverage Point

Banjerd Singkaneti — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0700

The “public sphere” or “public space” is an inclusive platform that provides opportunities for individuals in society to express themselves as “citizens” and to engage in public life, allowing them to present their demands to the state. Communities, community organizations, and civil societies that have effectively addressed issues have established a “public sphere” to manage conflicts in resource allocation, developmental inequality, and other challenging issues. Therefore, the “public sphere” functions as both a tool and a mechanism for effective community self-management, which can be categorized into two aspects: (a) strong communities with self-management practices on various issues, and (b) strong communities with provincial-level integration.

Building strong communities and a “public sphere” at the provincial level is crucial for mitigating inequality within the Thai social structure, particularly within the government sector, including central, regional, local, and community government agencies. The most crucial aspect of rebalancing power relations involves adopting deliberative democracy as a tool to foster community participation and empower communities to influence the direction of development in their respective areas. It is essential to further develop the Rules of the Office of the Prime Minister for Promoting Strong Communities (year…) to serve as a guiding framework for communities and provinces in constructing the “public sphere” in their areas in the future.

Environmental Democratic Rights and Sustainable Development: Concept, Practices, and International Lessons

Buchita Sungkaew — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This article aims to disseminate knowledge about environmental democratic rights and sustainable development. It focuses on explaining 1) the concept, background, and significant principles of environmental democratic rights, which was built in an integrated manner between Political science, Public Administration, Law, and Ecology 2) a practice of environmental democratic rights as a guideline for Sustainable Development and 3) lessons in implementing environmental democratic rights from many countries, both successful and unsuccessful cases. It also points out the importance of environmental democratic rights, especially a group of people being negatively affected, in enhancing people’s participation in decision-making in the public policy- projects making, including recommendations for the development of democratic rights and the environment for the sustainable development of the country.

Keywords: Environmental Democracy Rights, Sustainable Development, Environmental Democracy Index, Public Policy and Project, Joint Decision-making Participation

Lessons Learned from Good Practices in Basic Education Administration by Local Administrative Organizations in Four Regions of Thailand

Usa Kaewkamkong, Meechai Orsuwan, Wanwisa Suebnusorn Klaijumlang — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This research aims to extract lessons from good practices in basic education administration conducted by Local Administrative Organizations across four regions of Thailand, using a qualitative research methodology. Case studies were carried out through field research and in-depth interviews with selected Local Administrative Organizations and affiliated basic educational institutions that demonstrated success and were considered models for education administration. These models effectively addressed the diversity of learners and the needs of the social community. The case studies covered four regions, including the Chiang Rai Provincial Administrative Organization (Northern Region), Phuket Municipality (Southern Region), Phraeksa Subdistrict (Central Region), and Nakhon Ratchasima Municipality (Northeastern Region).

The study revealed that effective education administration by Local Administrative Organizations and model educational institutions, according to the systematic concept framework, involved several key inputs: leadership of administrators in both Local Administrative Organizations and educational institutions, clear and contextually appropriate educational policies, adequate budgets and resources, high-quality personnel, curricula addressing academic, professional, and language areas, and network partners. The study identified transformation processes such as hands-on learning management, participatory management, decentralization, resource mobilization, and team and leadership development within organizations.

The outputs included: learners achieving development goals in various areas such as academic skills, career skills, and language skills according to their potential, which can be used to advance their livelihoods. The creation of diverse educational options aimed to foster educational equality, ensuring that every learner has access to education regardless of their background or aptitude. These well-rounded educational options contribute to reducing inequality and promoting equality in education.

Model of Social Innovation in Active Aging to Support the Aging Society in the Context of the Urban Communities in Chumphon Province.

Tuvapon Tong-intarach — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This research aims to (1) study the needs for social innovations in active aging, (2) develop social innovations in active aging, and (3) transfer social innovations in active aging to support the aging society in the context of urban communities in Chumphon Province. A mixed-method approach was applied in this research. For the quantitative aspect, data was collected from 244 elderly participants. The statistical methods used included percentage, mean, average, and standard deviation. For the qualitative aspect, data was collected through in-depth interviews and group discussions with 15 elderly participants. The findings revealed that (1) the needs for active aging were related to health (x̄ = 3.40), stability (x̄ = 3.36), and participation (x̄ = 3.18); the average accessibility to each aspect of these needs was as follows: stability (x̄ = 2.92), health (x̄ = 2.86), and participation (x̄ = 2.83); the gap between needs and accessibility in active aging was: health (x̄ = 0.54), stability (x̄ = 0.44), and participation (x̄ = 0.35). (2) The development of social innovation in active aging was divided across three dimensions: health, stability, and engagement. The health dimension included six indices: (1) annual health evaluation, (2) mental health and emotional state evaluation, (3) assessment of the ability to perform daily activities, (4) visual evaluation and vision level assessment, (5) ear and hearing evaluation, and (6) exercise for health. The stability dimension included four indices: (1) income stability strengthening, (2) promotion of special housing privileges, (3) improvement of house atmosphere and conditions, and (4) development of house safety and universal design. The engagement dimension included four indices: (1) provision of employment and income-generating activities, (2) club activities based on interest, (3) village and community activities, and (4) activities assisting family members. The participation of the elderly in every dimension, with the integration of local authorities, was emphasized throughout these processes. (3) For the transfer of social innovations in active aging, five pillars were identified: (1) models, (2) dynamics, (3) processes, (4) activities, and (5) evaluation. These elements must be diverse and facilitate access to active aging across all three dimensions and 14 indices to effectively improve the quality of life for the elderly, in accordance with the Constitution, B.E. 2560 (2017), and the National Strategic Plan (B.E. 2561-2580) (2018-2037) related to Thai elders, ensuring their basic needs are met.

The Peace Process from the Perspectives of the People in Southern Thailand

Padtheera Narkurairattana, Amporn Marddent, Fareeda Panjor — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This research article focuses on the participation of people in conflict areas of the southern border provinces of Thailand in the peace process. Although this study is part of the Peace Survey 2023, it employs qualitative data analysis to understand perspectives on the peace process. The research results reveal dimensions of power relations among various actors at different levels. Additionally, the peace process faces challenges due to the limited negotiation space within the critical peace approach. The findings emphasize the importance of amplifying public voices in discussions, highlighting the role of public informants in various sectors who support and believe in the potential for free and safe public consultations.

Amid the political transition during the 2023 election period, which is linked to public hopes for progress in peace talks, the study found a significant challenge from the public's perspective: a lack of concrete results in the discussion process has contributed to the continued violence.

Drastic, Incremental, or Static?

Pawinee Chuayprakong, Nutchapon Metmaolee — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Previous studies have argued that changes in annual budgets are incremental. Nonetheless, recent research finds that over the long run, annual public budgets feature both stasis and punctuation. Stasis and punctuation represent underreaction and overreaction, respectively, to the social, political, and economic environment, as well as to citizens’ preferences. This pattern of budget changes aligns with the assumptions of Punctuated Equilibrium Theory, which highlights bounded rationality and the garbage can model. To test this theory in the context of Thailand’s public expenditure, this study asked the following questions: “How do Thailand’s annual budgets change over a long period, and which spending categories experience punctuations more frequently than others?”

To answer these questions, this study conducted a quantitative analysis using both descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze Thailand’s budget data. The results confirm that Thailand’s public expenditure over an extended period exhibits both stasis and punctuation, consistent with the assumptions of Punctuated Equilibrium Theory for all spending categories, except for the annual budgets of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labor, and Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. Additionally, spending categories that experienced more punctuation than others include public enterprises, provincial strategy, and unallocated funds. These categories share common characteristics, such as covering a wide range of policy contexts and not focusing on specific policy areas. Some policy recommendations include encouraging policy advocacy groups to actively take on the roles of watchdogs and policy analysts. As integral parts of democracy and democratic development, these roles can promote more effective information processing, dissemination, and deliberation among all stakeholders. This, in turn, can lead to higher levels of attention and commitment from policymakers and budget actors, ensuring timely and proportionate responses to political, social, and economic circumstances, as well as citizens’ preferences.