BUDDHADHAMMA APPLICATION FOR PEOPLE’S LOCAL POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN NAKHON SAWAN PROVINCE

Abstract

Objectives of this research were: 1. To study political participation at the local level, 2.To study factors affecting political participation at the local level, and 3. To apply Buddhist principles to promote local political participation of the people in Nakhon Sawan Province, conducted by the mixed research methods. The qualitative research collected data from 18 key informants and quantitative research distributed questionnaires to collect data from 400 samples who were eligible voters in Nakhon Sawan Province. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics: frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation. and stepwise multiple regression analysis.

The results of the research were as follows: 1. Political participation at the local level of the people, by overall was at moderate level ( =3.46). 2. Factors affecting people’s local political participation were as follows: political system was at a high level ( =3.97) and was at a high level in all aspects as follows: political environment ( =3.92), political culture ( =3.90) and political ideology ( =3.77), and 4 factors could explain political variation by 44.6 percent. 3. Application guidelines of Aparihaniya-dhamma to promote people’s political participation at the local level in Nakhon Sawan Province were as follows: 1) Encouraging participation in various forms of activities 2) Creating responsibility among the group to be grateful and to love the community where one lives. 3) Adhere to rules and regulations. It was a guideline for adhering to practice and to create discipline. 4) Give importance to exemplary leaders. 5) Encourage people to have rights, basic freedom equality and equality 6) Respect the majority vote, adhere to democracy. 7) Support good people with moral ethics.