Social Capital-based Local Policy and Governance:An Alternative Approach to Local Development in 21* Century

Abstract

After decentralizing local governance in Thailand, local initiatives have been promoted for more than a decade. Various innovations are found using in governing local area to cope with different problems and challenges facing by each locality. They make different compared to centralized and top-down policy made by the central government. However, apart from seeking for the ‘new’ like an innovation, using the ‘old’ like social capital embedded in local history, culture and social interactions would also be capable to make a better place. There are many forms of social capital that could be used including trust, reciprocity, moral obligation, social network, shared social rules and norms, and local knowledge. This article argues that social capital-based local policy and governance could be effective in delivering sustainable local development and should be recognized as an alternative approach for developing local communities in the 21st century. The lessons from governing old towns of four cities in regional Thailand are addressed to illustrate the attempt to adopt this approach.