Integrated Buddhism promotes public political participation in community development of local administrative organizations, in Sung Men District, Phrae Province

พุทธบูรณาการส่งเสริมการมีส่วนร่วมทางการเมืองของประชาชนในการพัฒนาชุมชนขององค์กรปกครองส่วนท้องถิ่นในอำเภอสูงเม่น จังหวัดแพร่

Abstract

This study aimed to 1) examine the public political participation in community development of local administrative organizations, 2) develop a Buddhist-integrated model, and 3) evaluate the effectiveness of the model in Integrated Buddhism promotes public political participation in community development of local administrative organizations, in Sung Men District, Phrae Province. A mixed-methods research design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 382 sampled residents, while qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 25 key informants and focus group discussions involving 15 participants. In addition, an action research process was conducted with 50 community representatives, accompanied by pre- and post-activity evaluations. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test analysis, and content analysis.

The findings revealed that

1. The overall public perception toward political participation and the Buddhist-integrated model was at a high level.
2. The Buddhist-integrated model, grounded in the principles of Aparihāniyadhamma, effectively enhanced political participation by promoting cooperation, respect for communal rules, equality, and collaborative community resource management, while also transforming community development processes toward meaningful participatory local governance.
3. The action research evaluation demonstrated that citizens’ participation significantly increased after implementation of the model, indicating its potential to support sustainable community development.