GRASSROOTS SOCIAL INNOVATION AND EASTERN LOCAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The objective of this qualitative research is to study the grassroots social innovation eastern local community in Thailand. The researcher focuses on the format of grassroots social innovations, the factors that form the grassroots social innovations and also the relationship between the grassroots social innovation and the eastern local community sustainability development. Four eastern local communities were selected to represent the whole eastern local communities are Phawa agroforestry community, Veracity accumulated group in Trat province, Chanthaboon Waterfront community and Chanthaburi Gems community. These four communities are the representative of paradigm innovation, organizational management innovation, product innovation and process innovation consecutively. The researcher follows the grassroots social innovation and social network as main frameworks of this research. Information is gathered from interview, observation, and documentary research together with political economy analysis of GI /Murphy/ George C. Homans frameworks. The study shows that the four formats of grassroots social innovation are obviously connected and has positive connection with the eastern local communities. Each grassroots social innovation is embedded into the community way of life in living especially in harmony with nature. Besides, these innovations help forming the sustainability in their communities.
               The results are clearly seen in Phawa agroforestry community where people can have sustainability living with wild elephants and in Veracity accumulated group in Trat province where subsistence and merits are connected and driving the better life in community. However, the driven of local community for grassroots social innovation is not enough, support from the government is also required in case of growth and sustainability. Therefore, the government has to play a crucial role in supporting these communities especially in Chanthaboon Waterfront community and Chanthaburi Gems community to be able to sustain and grow these innovations in the future.