Public Participation in Budgeting: The New Path of Budget Reform in Thailand

ABSTRACT

The purposes of this article are three fold. First is to explore the status of public participation budgeting in central, regional, and local administrative levels of Thailand. Second is to develop a model of public participation budgeting that fits with the contexts of each level. Third is to recommend some directions for budgetary reform in Thailand. This article employs qualitative methodologies using a multi-method approach for data collection, including in-depth interviews, focus groups, and work visits. The findings are discussed and compared with international experiences. Finally, a public participation budgeting typology is proposed and guidelines for budget reform are provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Budget reform
• central administration
• local administration
• public participation in budgeting
• regional administration

Acknowledgment

This paper is written based on a research project entitled “Participatory Budgeting,” granted by the Bureau of the Budget, Thailand. The research project was executed by Tippawan Lorsuwannarat, Sookyuen Tepthong, and Pornlert Arpanutad in 2011. The author wishes to express sincere appreciation to anonymous reviewers for their insights. My gratitude is also extended to Mr. Martin J. Dean for his valuable editing and proofreading of my manuscript.