Participatory local governance and cultural practices in Thailand

Figures & data

Table 1. Basic characteristics of surveyed TAOs and empirical selection criteria

TAOs	K.	B.	Suan Mon	Nong Pan	Total or average
Number of villages in the TAO (questionnaire with 50 village leaders)	11	12	14	16	53
Number of selected villages in the TAO for household survey	5	6	7	8	26
Average number of households (persons) per village	120 (558)	133 (690)	133 (507)	130 (526)	129 (570)
Average number of persons per household	4.7	5.4	3.8	4.2	4.5
Number of households participating in the survey (4 households per selected village)	20	24	28	32	104
Distance to district capital in km	3	15	5	15	10
Distance to provincial capital in km	43	130	65	65	76

Notes: TAO = Tambon Administrative Organization.

Data are from 2011, based on personal communication with the chief administrator (Palad) in each TAO.

The name of the two TAOs, K. & B., that were badly performing, are not revealed here.

Performance was based on the assessment of the administrative and management capabilities of each TAO, an assessment which was conducted by the Provincial Department of Local Administration.

Figure 1. Procedure for developing the Tambon development plan.

Notes: ¹The members are: chief administrator of TAO (chairman), plan and policy analyst (secretary), head of financial division, head of public work division, representative from government sector, three persons from the Tambon civic forum. ²Members of the Tambon civic forum committee are selected from the village civic forum committees or village committees. Each village civic forum or village committee will select one of their members to join the Tambon civic forum committee. Key persons from related government agencies such as a school director, head of public health centre, head of Tambon hospital, etc. also participate. ³The members are: the president of the TAO, two vice presidents of TAO, three TAO representatives, three local experts (appointed by the TAO president), three representatives from the government sector (appointed by the TAO president), five members of the Tambon civic forum, chief administrator of TAO, plan and policy analyst. Source: Authors own figure based on Ministry of Interior (2005).

Figure 2. Cultural sensemaking model: Making sense of paradoxical behaviour during civic forum meetings. Source: Adapted according to Osland and Bird (2000, pp. 70–72).

Notes: A cultural script is a pattern of social interaction that is characteristic of a particular group. These patterns are accepted and appropriate ways of behaving in certain patterns of interaction. These patterns reduce the uncertainty with regard to the response from others (Osland & Bird, 2000, p. 71).

Ministry of Interior. (2005). Regulations of the Ministry of Interior 2005 on the making of local administrative organisations’ development plan (in Thai). Bangkok: Author.

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Osland, J. S., & Bird, A. (2000). Beyond sophisticated stereotyping: Cultural sensemaking in context. The Academy of Management Executive, 14, 65–77.

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