An analysis of the factors affecting the success of environmental policy implementation : a study of the Tambon Administration organization (TAO)

Abstract

This study was undertaken to accomplish three objectives: 1) to quantify the level of environmental policy implementation among TAOs, 2) to examine the major factors affecting the success of environmental policy implemented at the TAO level, and 3) to provide recommendations for more effective policy development on environmental issues and on the implementation processes used by the TAOs. This study uses mixed-method research, in which the qualitative data that has been collected is used to corroborate and support the evidence from the quantitative data. This method gives breadth and depth of understanding to the rationale or theory underlying the relationships between the variables. The data was collected by using four-rating scale questionnaires, organizational records, and an in-depth interview. The sampled groups represented TAOs located in industrial zones in nine provinces from the central, northeast and eastern parts of Thailand. In data processing, the quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, factor analysis and multiple regression. In addition, a four-case study was used to investigate the potential factors contributing to the success of environmental policy implementation. The results of this research, identified nine factors that influenced the success of TAO’s environmental policy implementation. The factors are: which comprised of: 1) community acceptance, 2) public awareness, 3) participation, 4) organizational configuration, 5) partnership and networking with the private sector, 6) clients’ needs, 7) feedback and evaluation, 8) communication, and 9) the size of TAO. Finally, it is recommended that TAO should be more dependent on other actors in the environment for obtaining resources, and more flexible to external actors (Acs, et al. 1994: 336-340), in term of inter-organizational co-operations and networks from the stakeholders’ participation in codifying policies and using the collaboration of organized groups in the communities to benefit an environmental policy implementation. Further, TAO should grant more importance on the man-power management to recruit an expertise in environment for more efficiency in coping with the problems. Aside from that, TAO should be sufficiently equipped with favorable scope of jurisdictive power for punishment for violations so that they can deliver and make the policy to be more of a success.