People's participation and the state : a study of the role of non-government organizations (NGOs) in the Thai development process

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the role of Thai non-government organizations (NGOs) and their use of a people participation approach in the process of economic and social development in Thailand. The thesis also provides a theoretical context for the NGOs in tackling the problems of underdevelopment. In order to meet these aims, I define "development" in terms of the achievement not only of economic growth but also of the human values of dignity and freedom, and show that the distribution of the benefits of growth is a critical factor in development. I argue, therefore, that the state has an obligation to ensure development for all its citizens, in particular the common people (e.g. landless peasants and wage workers). I consider the role of the Thai state in the context of development planning from the early works of Phraya Suriyanuwat and Luang Pradit Manutham, through the period of economic nationalism to the more recent process, supported by the UN and World Bank in particular, of preparing Five Year Development Plans. Under this latter process, I argue, the state has pursued security objectives and supported private (and foreign) enterprises as the dominant actors in the development process despite the supposed acceptance of the World Bank and the IMF strategies of "Basic Needs (BNs)" or "Redistribution with Growth (RwG)". I continue the investigation with an overview of development theories which are generally categorized into two schools of thought, modernization and neo-Marxist (including the dependency paradigm), and from this investigation it emerges that neither the modernization theory nor dependency paradigm is adequate to clearly explain the causes of underdevelopment or to provide the path to development. It is also noted that the debates of both schools of thought are in some respects reflected in the Thai development context and that the role of the state is an important focus particularly since Thai politics has been punctuated with military rule, coups and counter-coups. I conclude that there is a need for the democratic involvement of the people generally and for people participation in development in particular. In discussing the concepts and methodologies used by NGOs in the development process, I argue that there is a major role for NGOs in development and support my claim with three selected case studies. These demonstrate that NGOs can play a catalytic role in the development process and can mediate between the people and the government in situations of exploitation and conflict. The case studies demonstrate too that the NGO's role as a "bridge of hope" between the common people and the government can promote true development without threat to the security, integrity or economic wellbeing of the parties involved.