Politics of Participation: Case Study of the Form and Power Dynamics of Participation in Two Villages in Southern Thailand

Abstract: Genuine forms of participation of the local people are integral to the success of government development projects implemented to curtail escalating insurgency against the State in the restive southern borders provinces of Thailand. This thesis aims to determine the form of participation that has manifested itself and the mechanisms of power that shape its parameters, given the centralized and hierarchical administrative reality in which participation has been carried out. Arnstein’s (1969) characterization of different forms of participation and VeneKlasen & Miller’s (2007) three models of power provided the analytical framework for research. Findings from a two-village case study reveal that participation remains tokenistic with decision-making powers concentrated in the hands of local leaders and state officials vis-à-vis average villagers and marginalized groups. The agency of local leaders and district officials, rule of majority wins, villager’s lack of access to information, and subtle mannerisms in Thai society contributed to shaping this tokenistic form of participation.