Local Administration Journal

The Contribution of the Village Saving and Loan Association to Women’s Economic Empowerment in Kasulu District, Tanzania

Esther C. Adams — 2026-03-29

The study assessed the contribution of the Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLA) to women's economic empowerment in Kasulu District, Tanzania. Specifically, the study examined contributions of VSLA in enhancing productivity in food crop production. The study employed a cross-sectional design with mixed methods to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data from 102 women in Murufiti, Nyamidaho, and Kitagata who belonged to VSLA responding to structured questionnaires. Key informants, including community development officers and village leaders, were interviewed in-depth during the study. Quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistical analysis with the aid of SPSS V26, while content analysis of qualitative data was conducted. Results demonstrate that women farmers who were part of VSLA witnessed major improvements in their agricultural production. The respondents who participated in VSLA showed improved maize cultivation results, as 74.5% generated between 500–1,000 kg yields before joining, but this changed to 61.8% after membership. After joining VSLA, the percentage of females who produced more than 1,000 kg of beans increased to 47.1%. The combination of financial assistance with training and improved farming resources aligned as the main elements leading to higher agricultural production. The study concludes that VSLA create heightened financial independence for women, alongside better household food security, along with various benefits for small-scale agriculture. More VSLA programs need expansion through governmental policies that integrate VSLA activities while offering additional technical and financial backing for optimal program success.

Assessment of Intervention Strategies for Supporting Street Vendors in Dodoma City Council, Tanzania

Paschal Seleli — 2026-03-30

The study assessed the Intervention strategies towards helping the business street vendors at Dodoma City Council. The study adopted a mixed research approach and data collection involved questionnaires and unstructured interviews with key informants (N=110), where 100 participants were surveyed street vendors, and 10 participants were interviewed City Council officials. Data analysis employed both statistical techniques for quantitative data and narrative analysis for qualitative responses to provide a comprehensive understanding. The study found that the City Council has supported vendors through financial assistance, training programs, and designated business spaces, with mixed effectiveness. Results show that 67% of vendors received financial support, and 72% indicated this assistance to have had a beneficial impact on their business. 51% also had training programs available, from which 67% reported better business functions because of the training. Fully 70% of vendors reported that their business had access to designated business spaces, and 69% noted that the experience had increased their business performance in an organized location. On the whole, interventions showed positive effects; however, substantial deficits persisted as a large subgroup received no benefit from such support. The investigation also highlighted challenges such as lack of enough space at established markets, difficulties in selecting appropriate spaces where to vend and low compliance for vendors choosing unauthorized high-traffic areas. These findings underscore the requirements for better planning, increased infrastructure, and enhanced enforcement to promote an equitable and sustainable provision for street vendors in Dodoma City. Based on these findings, five recommendations are proposed: improve access to financial support, enhance training programs, expand and upgrade market spaces, strengthen enforcement through participatory approaches, and integrate street vending into city planning through regular assessments and stakeholder engagement.

Developing Creative Leadership among Local Administrators for Smart Locality Advancement in Maha Sarakham Province

Ntapat Worapongpat — 2026-03-31

In an era of rapid change, developing creative leadership among local administrators is a critical factor in driving smart locality development in Maha Sarakham Province. Visionary thinking, systematic innovation, and flexible management are essential for sustainable transformation. This study aimed to: (1) examine the current state, desired state, and priority needs for creative leadership among local administrators; and (2) develop strategic guidelines to strengthen creative leadership for the concrete advancement of smart localities. A mixed-methods research design was employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. The sample consisted of 331 local administrators selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Statistical analyses included mean, standard deviation, and the Modified Priority Needs Index (PNI Modified). The findings revealed that the current state of creative leadership was at a high level (M = 3.85, S.D. = 1.89), while the desired state was at the highest level (M = 4.80, S.D. = 1.98). Priority needs for development, ranked from highest to lowest, were creativity (PNI Modified = 0.272), vision (0.257), individualized consideration (0.256), teamwork (0.249), flexibility (0.233), and imagination (0.215). The proposed guidelines consist of six major strategies and eighteen sub-strategies, all evaluated at the highest levels of appropriateness, feasibility, and utility (M = 4.91–4.96). Enhancing creative leadership among local administrators is therefore a key mechanism for advancing smart locality development. The findings provide practical and systematic guidelines that can strengthen leadership capacity in government organizations and support sustainable development in the digital era.

A Collaborative Platform for Climate Change Adaptation and Poverty Alleviation in Nakhon Ratchasima

กนกพร ฉิมพลี — 2026-03-30

This study aimed to examine and develop collaborative mechanisms, integrated information systems, and operational models for addressing area-based poverty while strengthening
the adaptive capacity of poor households to climate change in Nakhon Ratchasima Province.
A mixed-methods research design was employed, involving 1,087 poor households in four pilot districts. Data were collected through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and the PPPConnext database linked with the Thai People Map and Analytics Platform, together with assessments of disaster risk and local preparedness. The findings reveal that an integrated collaboration mechanism was established among more than
30 organizations from different sectors, accompanied by the formulation of a provincial action plan. Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University functioned as an “area-based university” by forming a multidisciplinary research team and developing more than 87 area managers to support local implementation. The PPPConnext central database identified 21,321 poor households, of which 39% were located in disaster-prone areas. Several area-based poverty alleviation models were developed, including safe mushroom production, pesticide-free vegetable farming, and tamarind value-added processing. These initiatives increased household income by approximately 4,000–15,000 THB per month, reduced expenditures by 23%, and created employment opportunities for poor households. Households also demonstrated stronger economic resilience through diversified income sources, increased savings, and more sustainable livelihood practices. The findings highlight the importance of establishing an official provincial poverty alleviation platform, integrating poverty reduction with climate change adaptation strategies, and strengthening the role of area-based universities in transferring knowledge and innovation to communities. These measures can enhance economic and social stability, reduce vulnerability, and sustainably strengthen the capacity of poor households.

Community Reflections and Poverty Alleviation Strategies in Pak Chom District, Loei Province

Weeranuch Yamyim — 2026-03-30

This study aims to proactively identify poor households through a community-based segmentation process at the sub-village (khum) level and to present community reflections that inform sustainable poverty alleviation in Pak Chom District, Loei Province, Thailand. The target population comprised 643 poor households. A mixed-methods approach was employed, emphasizing participatory processes involving researchers, community members, and local agencies. Research instruments included questionnaires, unstructured interviews, and focus group discussion guides. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data from interviews and group discussions were examined through content analysis.

The findings indicate that poor households can be classified into four levels based on five dimensions of livelihood capital: (1) extreme hardship (43 households; 10.62%); (2) severe hardship (83 households; 20.49%); (3) moderate well-being (264 households; 65.19%); and (4) relative well-being (15 households; 3.70%). Community reflections on poverty highlighted several key issues, including the need to transform livelihood strategies to improve social status, limited access to land and natural resources, and the diverse origins of poverty. These reflections provide a foundation for formulating targeted policy interventions, particularly in enhancing community capacity through education, strengthening the local economy through job creation, and reforming land resource allocation. Such area-specific policies can effectively contribute to sustainable poverty reduction.

Stupid and Lazy: Thai Elite Discourses on Rural Poverty Amid the Clash of American Ideals and Chinese Culture, 1957–1971

Wicherd Taweekul — 2026-03-30

This article examines that discourse of “stupidity” and “laziness” that were produced by the Thai elite to explain the problem of poverty of people in the rural country, which arose from a clash of American ideology and Chinese culture by relying on the framework of discourse as a basis for explanation. The study found that the stupidity discourse from the lack of education of rural people, which is the origin of the poverty problem, was produced by the Thai elite. On one side, it is a consequence of the influence of thought about development toward modernization from the United States in the Cold War era. On the other side, it is also a result of the attention to education of the Chinese people in Thailand, which brought about their business success and their families. At the same time, the stupidity resulting from a lack of education was also linked by the Thai elite to the issue of a rejection of modern production technology, as well as the infiltration of communists in rural areas. As for the laziness discourse of rural people, which is an undesirable habit for national development, it arose from the perception of the Thai elite toward the culture of diligence in pursuing a career of the Chinese people, which made them wealthy and rich, as much as accepting the success of America from the perseverance of the American people.