DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN CAPITAL AND GOOD GOVERNANCE AFFECTING THE LIFE QUALITY OF PEOPLE IN SARABURI PROVINCE

Abstract

The objectives of this research article were to study the level of quality of life among people in Saraburi Province, to analyze human capital development and good governance practices that affected the quality of life of the people, and to propose guidelines for promoting human capital development, good governance, and the improvement of people’s quality of life in Saraburi Province. The study employed a mixed-methods approach. The quantitative sample consisted of 400 people aged 18 years and over who were eligible to vote in Saraburi Province, selected by a statistical formula, while the qualitative data were obtained from 20 key informants selected purposively. The research instruments included questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The statistics used for data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and multiple regression analysis. The research findings revealed that the overall quality of life of people in Saraburi Province was at a high level. When ranked by mean scores from highest to lowest, the results showed that the attitude aspect ranked first, followed by ability, intellectual ability, and skills, respectively. The analysis of human capital development and good governance practices indicated that ability, attitude, the rule of law, decentralization, and responsiveness influenced the quality of life of people in Saraburi Province by 32.30 percent, with a statistical significance level of .05. The study suggested that the development of people’s abilities, the creation of positive attitudes, and the encouragement of local administrative organizations to apply good governance principles in human capital development should be promoted to ensure fairness, responsiveness, and sustainable improvement in the quality of life of the people.