Public Participation in Community Development of Ban Bueng Subdistrict, Bankha District,Ratchaburi Province

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) examine the level of public participation with regard to community development in Ban Bueng Subdistrict, Ban Kha District, Ratchaburi Province, and 2)to compare the level of public participation in community development with regard to personal factors. The samples were 383people in Ban Bueng Subdistrict, Ban Kha District, Ratchaburi Province. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. The statistics used for data analysis were the frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. The results were as follows:

1) Overall, public participation in the community development was rated at a high level. Public participation in the operation was rated the highest, followed by participation in the following areas i.e. benefit sharing, monitoring and evaluation, decision making, and planning, respectively. 2) The samples of different personal factors, i.e. genders, ages, educational levels, occupation, and length of residence in the community, differed in their participation in community development at the significance level of 0.05.

Implications of the study include establishment of policies to allow for local people’s participation in the development of community with the purpose to increase the capacity in accommodating tourists at the local attractions, as well as to prepare for tourism boom due to the fact that Ban Bueng Subistrict is an area that is connected to Suan Phueng District, a major tourist attraction.