POLITICAL ECONOMY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN MYANMAR

Abstract

This research aims to study the development of local governance, patterns of the structure, and roles of the local government as well as analysis of the political economy and the changing of local government in Myanmar. The research found that the development of local government system in Myanmar had divided into 5 periods: the development of local government system in Myanmar before the pre-colonial period, the colonial era, independence and the civilian government, the military coup period, and post-constitution era in 2008 (at the present). Due to the different periods of development of the local government system in Myanmar, there was the linkage dynamic of the political economy changed. It can be seen by the structures and the roles of recent local government that derived from the conditions of political economy in the past. In particular, the roles of the military attempted to regulate people, communities, and minorities at the local level. Consequently, the roles of local government and people’s participation in Myanmar were limited. The limitations of the local government's role under the government structures in Myanmar and lacking contribution of people’s participation emerged many troubles: centralized decision making, un-distributable interests throughout, the problems of the political economy of ethnicity, and minority violence. Recently, the whole problem still remained in Myanmar society.