This thesis describes a case study of a rural sub district in Thailand, develops a
network model for development and makes policy suggestions that stress the
importance of participatory governance processes. The aim of this thesis is to learn
from a limited case study and explore the extent to which ICT could bridge the gaps
in rural and remote areas and thus aid development and empower those who are
marginalized by virtue of gender inequality, poverty, lack of education and limited
access to resources. The thesis:
- Investigates how a case study of rural and remote communities,
particularly in North Eastern Thailand, can gain more capacity to: i.)
harness and obtain the potential advantages of information and
communication technologies and ii.) promote the interconnectedness and
network partnership across public, private and community sectors.
- Describes the lack of connection across public, private and community
sectors and argues for the need to develop and promote the capacity of
individuals, groups, organizations, and institutions in these rural areas. In
this limited case study, the lack of capacity leads to an inability to use ICT
in many sectors that could support community development goals in
Thailand. Without access to or the ability to share new information and knowledge across the remote and more developed regions, it is difficult to
create success in development projects for individuals and institutions and
to mobilize and allocate tangible and intangible resources from the
workplace, family, and community. Amidst the flood of information and
knowledge globally, including within a nation itself, partnerships among
public and private sectors and other stakeholders both inside and outside a
community can play a substantial role in harnessing the new technologies
to pool information and knowledge, in order to develop the community's
capacity and people's capability to achieve their goals sustainably.
- Argues that the development gaps in these rural and remote areas could be
reduced if the people there are promoted and empowered to be significant
and active partners equally able to share and contribute information and
knowledge to others outside their communities.
The focus of the research is on the powerful knowledge brokers in the society
such as the monks, the village leaders, local government officials and the school
teachers who know about ICTs. The research focus is not the powerless who (in this
case) may not have access to ICT. The thesis points out the way in which the
powerful view the shortcomings and barriers to ordinary people having access to
computers. As such 'the gaze' (in the sense used by Foucault is upwards at the
powerful, not downwards at the powerless. 'Power and knowledge are linked'
(Foucault), according to Foucault and this thesis looks only at the way in which the
powerful see themselves.
Although I argue for participatory governance, my thesis only looks at the
powerful. This is in part as a result of my being a member of the knowledge broker
stakeholders as I am training to be a Buddhist monk and live in the temple.
My thesis makes a contribution, by studying the powerful knowledge brokers, instead
of researching the powerless. I have researched issues with the powerful as I was able
to access them, in my role as a trainee monk and because of my position in and
connections within the community. There are usually two areas in research in Thailand that are not discussed;
they are religion and the role of the state. This thesis addresses some causes or sources
of difficulties or conflicts that have occurred as a part of the obstacles for the
development in selected case study areas, in order to understand what significantly
lies underneath the difficulties.
This thesis does not engage in a discussion on the diverse needs of the
Southern region. Muslims, who live in the five southern provinces adjacent to
Malaysia, see themselves as second class citizens compared to others (in particular
Buddhists who make up about 95% of the population). This is supported by
international criticism of the handling of separatist movements.
This thesis is written from the perspective of a Buddhist monk -to- be who
lives and works in the Northern area and who is concerned with his case study area. I
have been in training to become a monk my entire life as I was brought up in the
Buddhist temple. I acknowledge that my experiences contribute to the way that I see
the world but that I have tried to be as reflexive as possible. Much of the research
draws on my role and position in the society in which I live. I have strived to
understand the wider world. To that end, I was trained in the private and public sector
in leadership skills in Bangkok Life Insurance Company and in Bangkok Business
Administration School including in Naluang Temple, Udorn Thani province. I have
been trained to work with the community leaders such as schools and local
government officers with a view to help with community development as the temple
representative.
This thesis does not argue that information and communication technologies
(ICTs), in and of themselves, are the means to achieving social justice and socioeconomic
being. Instead it argues that they can support and enable the stakeholders to
participate in decision making and greater access to information and resources
amongst and across local stakeholders - village, school, temple and local government
- in the rural areas.
I stress that if there is no political willingness and community spirit (social
capital) to support this, then information and communication technologies (ICTs) are of no value. 'Thick democracy', in the sense used by Edgar, is dependent on better
communication with all the stakeholders. Knowledge management is not about
technology alone it is about pooling and sharing ideas so that development
opportunities can be developed. Technology is the means to achieve joined-up
government. It is not an end in itself. My thesis shows how the lack of ability to work
together, and lack of willingness to cooperate amongst some players, undermine the
potential of people to access information and resources.
I argue that the geographical isolation of rural areas nowadays can be
theoretically bridged by investing in telecommunication infrastructure. It is debatable
if the state could achieve this alone. Local institutions cannot serve, help and work in
partnership with other organizations. They need to be able to work collaboratively, in
order to deal with the complexity of problems. Some temples, for instance, lack
capacity to apply the local, tacit knowledge of people that is needed for balanced
development in the community. A consequence of the isolation of local institutions, in
this case study, is that it can lead to insufficient co-operation across community,
public and private sectors. Also, it can reduce and demote institutional and social
capacity necessary for working together effectively. The aim of this thesis was to
establish to what extent ICT can bridge the gaps in rural and remote areas and thus aid
development and empower those who are marginalized by virtue of gender inequality,
poverty, lack of education and limited access to resources. At the outset the
limitations of the small sample are acknowledge and the analysis is limited to the
discussion of themes that could have potential relevance, but nevertheless the thesis
aims to
- Explore the issue of capacity building (by means of a small purposive
sample) drawn from 7 rural communities, in North Eastern Thailand;
- Consider the themes from the purposive sample to explore the potential
development role for information and communication technologies;
- Consider the extent to which the technologies (as part of a development
process) could support the creation of networks and partnership across
public, private and community sectors; and
- Describe the themes that emerge in the small sample about the lack of
connection across (public, private and community) sectors and argue for
the need to develop and promote the capacity of individuals, groups,
organizations, and institutions in this purposive sample.
The lack of capacity in this small sample indicated that in these communities
there is limited capacity to use ICT in many sectors that could support community
development goals in this part of Thailand. Perhaps the themes that are evident in this
sample could be explored further to assess their more general relevance. It is possible
that without access to or the ability to share new information and knowledge across
the remote and more developed regions, it is difficult to create success in development
projects for individuals and institutions and to mobilize and allocate tangible and
intangible resources from the workplace, family, and community. Amidst the flood of
information and knowledge globally, including within a nation itself, partnerships
among public and private sectors and other stakeholders both inside and outside a
community can play a substantial role in harnessing the new technologies to pool
information and knowledge, in order to develop the community's capacity and
people's capability to achieve their goals sustainably. I argue that the development
gaps in these rural and remote areas could be reduced if the people there are promoted
and empowered to be significant and active partners equally able to share and
contribute information and knowledge to others outside their communities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/216422 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Nanudorn, Paisal, nanu0002@flinders.edu.au |
| Publisher | Flinders University. Flinders Institute of Public Policy and Management |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.flinders.edu.au/disclaimer/), Copyright Paisal Nanudorn |
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