Performance of the new rural development management system in thailand: A view from the korat development pilot project
| Author | Poonsiri Watjanapoom,Walter E. J. Tips |
| Published date | 01 April 1986 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230060203 |
| Date | 01 April 1986 |
PUBLlC ADMlNlSTRATlON AND DEVELOPMENT, Vol.
6,
133-IS0
(1986)
Performance
of
the new rural development management
system in Thailand: a view from the korat development
pilot project
POONSIRI WATJANAPOOM and WALTER E. J. TIPS
Division
of
Human Settlements Development, Asian Institute
of
Technology
SUMMARY
Development management in national rural development has been the subject
of
much
discussion as old-style integrated rural development planning met with increasing criticism.
The Royal Government
of
Thailand is currently attempting to arrive at comprehensive reform
of the development management system within the framework
of
implementation
of
its
national five-year plans. This article highlights the reforms and the analysis of past failures. It
introduces the new management organization and some procedural highlights. A first
experiment with the new system which is currently being carried out in the province
of
Nakhon Ratchasima is documented, and the opinion
of
government officials
on
its
performance is reported. The overall reaction is positive: the system does provide a more
coordinated implementation. Two bottlenecks remain, however: project monitoring and
evaluation should be strengthened; and additional technical training in development planning
is needed.
INTRODUCTION
There is a serious lack of co-ordination among different government
agencies, many of which perform the same type
of
work. For example, for
occupation promotion work in agriculture there are 14 agencies involved;
for farmer organization there are 16 agencies involved; and for basic
infrastructure projects 3 1 agencies are involved. The organizational
framework has resulted in duplication of work, delays and waste of
resources. Efforts to solve these problems have already been initiated but
are
still
too limited.
With this conclusion, the National Economic and Social Development Board
of
Thailand (NESDB, 1982, p. 317) takes stock of the development administration and
management system at the start
of
the Fifth National Economic and Social
Development Plan period (1982-1986). In
two
parts of the Plan there is an extensive
discussion
on
the need to reform the entire decision-making and implementation
Poonsiri Watjanapoom is an officer
of
the Economic Preparedness Planning Division
of
the National
Economic and Social Development Board
of
Thailand. Dr Walter E.
J.
Tips is Assistant Professor,
Division
of
Human Settlements Development, Asian Institute
of
Technology, GPO
Box
2754,
Bangkok
10501,
Thailand.
0271-2075/86/020133-18$09.00
01986
by
John Wiley
&
Sons,
Ltd.
134
machinery of the Government of Thailand. The underlying criticism, often openly
stated, is the predominance of the centre in decision-making and implementing,
especially rural development. Rondinelli
(1
983) has also discussed the need for
decentralization and the relative initial success with the decentralization of
government in Thailand. The plan has further emphasized the role of the provincial
level in decentralizing on the one hand and in co-ordinating on the other: there is a
clear designation of the province as a focal point for the initial decentralization
(NESDB,
1982, p. 318). Elsewhere
(NESDB,
1982, p. 319)
it
is noted that there had
been no reform of the system for development management
in
the public sector since
the early 1970s. It is recognized that there is an urgent need to tackle this reform.
The problems of Thai public sector development projects are similar to those of
other developing countries. However, the Fifth Plan itself notes some of the more
fundamental problems: (1) a lack of a central system to co-ordinate and to translate
economic and social development policies into actual implementation; (2) a lack of a
national monitoring and evaluation system to provide feedback on actual
performance; (3) confusion and duplication among the fragmented local
development organizations; (4) excessive control and the resulting over-
centralization of the formulation, financing and implementation of development
programmes and projects; and
(5)
a bureaucracy which is still characterized by red
tape and inefficient utilization of financial resources
(NESDB,
1982, p. 320).
Norabhoompipat (1983) has identified the following problems
in
the early stages
of the so-called Poverty Alleviation Plan in the Fifth Plan:
Poonsiri
Watjanapoom
and
Walter
E.
J.
Tips
(1)
There is little co-ordination between the central and the local agencies for
target setting and mobilizing local community involvement.
(2) Project scheduling depends on each implementing agency. Co-ordination
among agencies at the site becomes difficult, and development efforts are
hardly compatible enough to give any major thrust.
(3) Implementing agencies independently alter target sites. There is no definite
target plan set.
(4) Special studies on projects are scattered all over, without a mechanism to
compile learning and experience in order to prevent redundant works and
repeated mistakes.
(5)
Monitoring and evaluation, mainly based
on
assessment
of
work performed
and success achieved, is kept within each project and
is
not communicated to
the general management.
(6)
Information on various issues and approaches remains concealed within each
project, without the participation of the other agencies and the people.
Functional relations among officers and the people become uncertain and
inconsistent.
(7)
There is no common data-base
or
network. Each agency utilizes its own
incomplete and different set of information which makes co-ordination very
difficult.
Nevertheless, the Fifth Plan has set in motion a process
of
reform of development
administration which is currently being implemented and which receives favourable
comments (World Bank, 1983, p.
119).
The most pronounced attempt to test the
proposed new structure
for
rural development management has been carried out
by
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