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eBook details

• Title: Civic Space Production and Local Government Capacity: Lessons from Muang Klang, Thailand (Report)
• Author : SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia
• Release Date : January 01, 2011
• Genre: Social Science,Books,Nonfiction,
• Pages : * pages
• Size : 236 KB

Description

The substantive delegation of authority from a central government to municipal entities, or devolution, makes visible gaps between the skills municipal employees have and those they need to fulfil their new responsibilities. As central governments engage in devolution, local governments regularly turn to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for capacity building assistance (Gaventa 2004; Evans 1997; Appadurai 1996). In the case of Thailand, where the process of devolution is widely referred to as decentralization, municipalities remain ill-prepared to implement their newly transferred responsibilities in accordance with the country's 1999 Decentralisation Act and subsequent Plan (Lao-Araya 2002; Chambers 2002; Wescott 2001). Capacity building is in order, not only for local officials and staff, but also for Thai people and civic associations at large. In the democratic model of governance adopted by Thailand's 2007 Constitution, substantive local participation in governmental decision-making can also bolster the capacity of the public sector. Examining Thailand's 1997 and 2007 constitutional processes and their results suggests that the country remains committed to advancing democratic practices, but that various political players continue to find other means to manipulate governance. The 1997 Constitution could not correct abuses of power that had become practically systemic. Political corruption, or the perception of it, remains relatively high (Asian Human Rights Commission 2006). And, of course, constitutional reform is only one component of a wide range of possible reforms. Other areas still requiring attention in Thailand include the education system, bureaucracy, the health and welfare sectors, the military, and Buddhist Sangha, to name a few (Peleggi 2007; Albritton and Bureekul 2004). The 2007 Constitution is not as progressive as the 1997 document in terms of civil liberties and democratic processes, and yet these documents are both quite progressive in comparison to previous constitutions (Aphornsuvan 2001; Bureekul and Thananithichot 2002).

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