Reform Approach for Spatial Decentralization in the Legal and Power Structure Context in Thailand

Abstract

This academic paper aims to present the problem of spatial decentralization and to present a way to reform Thailand's spatial decentralization in the dimension of law and power structure. It was found that there were 6 main problems with the area decentralization as the followings. (1) The past policy of decentralization was discontinuous. There were changes according to the policies of the government that came to administer the country. (2) The method of decentralization was wrong. (3) The problem of the two-tier local government structure. (4) The internal structure of the executives of local government organizations. (5) The problem of the term of office of the president of the local government organization. (6) The problem of being a public juristic person of the local government organization. Area-based decentralization reforms are: (1) Reforming the structure of local government organizations, and solving problems of overlapping areas or redundant missions; (2) Promoting the integration of cooperation between small local government organizations and large local government organizations; (3) Monitoring by the decentralization principle for locals decision to solve various problems by themselves within the framework of the law; (4) Promoting the Thai state to decentralize power more widely and concentrated; (5) Defining small locals to be responsible for providing basic public services and transferring “large-scale” tasks to upper local governments; (6) Ending the “voluntary” decentralization scheme and adopting compulsory and regulatory measures, penalties and necessary incentives for the administration of the system of decentralized policy; (7) Promoting the state to establish an organization being responsible for the administration of decentralized policies that operate in a unified manner; (8) Reviewing and abolishing “unnecessary” local control measures; (9) Dissolving provinces and the Provincial Administrative Organizations (PAO) together and managing a special local government to have an area covering the entire province, also known as "self-governing province".