| Author | Wisit Kosinthob |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.HS-89-17 |
| Subject(s) | Rural development--Thailand--Surat Thani
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| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Science, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. HS-89-17 |
| Abstract | The failure of development benefits to reach the lower level, particularly the Tambon Council (TC) is one of crucial reasons that led to the adoption of "bottom-up" planning. This had resulted from the lack of people ' s participation in development planning and its failure to respond to local needs. The realization of this important shortcoming has resulted in the adoption of t' bottom—up" planning approach in the Fifth Plan (1982—1986) by establishing the National Rural Development Programme (NRDP) . This is the attempt of the government to overcome some identified shortcomings in the previous "top—down" approach. Despite this major change the expected benefits are not being achieved due to some shortcomings in the process such as the poor coordination among concerned agencies, the lack Of planning capacity of local institutions , the inadequate utilization of systematically-collected data, and rigidities in the procedures
This research examined how well the planning process of the NRDP, particularly at the tambon level, reflects people's needs in the midst of these shortcomings. The planning process from the national to the tambon level itself was also examined to see whether these identified shortcomings could be effectively overcome by some changes made by the National Rural Development Coordinating Centre.
The TC, the smallest unit of the new rural development planning system through which people could directly participate, with the assistance of the Tambon Development Working Group (TDWG) is expected to play a vital role in reconciling the people's needs and allocated scare resources from the government. In the NRDP system, this could be done by local institutions through the formulation of the tambon rural development plan for which people are encouraged to expressed their problems and needs and given a chance to select projects Which are most suitable for them in a rational way. This important expectation could not achieve so far due to various obstacles, The findings show that people were not actively involved in the planning process of the NRDP system, particularly in project identification and selection at the tambon plan formulation stage. This is because local institutions, particularly the TC and VDC, were not informed in advance of projects available for selection by them, resulting in by—passing the village level in the planning process. This is aggravated by limited time given to them and their lack of planning skills particularly for the systematic analysis of problems and needs, and feasibility study of project proposals. This could be overcome through regular technical training. The rigid project frameworks designed by central agencies also prevented them from playing their role fully. There should be greater flexibility in the selection of projects. To overcome the continuing problem of coordination, the NRDCC at the national level and Provincial and District Rural Development Committee at the sub—national level should be given more authority to coordinate .
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| Year | 1989 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. HS-89-17 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Human Settlement (HS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Dias, Hiran D. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Weber, Karl E. ;Demaine, Harvey
|
| Scholarship Donor(s) | DAAD—German academic Exchange Service; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1989 |