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Civic Space Production and Local Government Capacity: Lessons from Muang Klang, Thailand
- Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Volume 26, Number 1, April 2011
- pp. 58-79
- Article
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Thailand's ongoing efforts to decentralize authority continue to reveal municipal strengths and weaknesses. This article describes how the Thailand Environment Institute, a non-governmental organization, has been building capacity in the municipality of Muang Klang by means of civic space production. The production of a new recreation complex involved processes that began institutionalizing participatory planning, is nurturing civil society, and may, over time, bolster broad and more balanced municipal governance. This case illustrates the significant role of the non-governmental organization in decentralization and how the explicit consideration of civic spaces can improve participatory planning in the public sphere.