Collaboration among government, the private sector, and civil society in the southernmost provinces of Thailand

Abstract

This research had the objective to study collaboration and the factors which facilitate collaboration between the government, private sector, and civil society in southern border provinces of Thailand. This research also examined problems and obstacles to interagency collaboration across multiple dimensions. Finally, the researcher synthesized the information to develop a proposed model for effective collaboration between government, the private sector, and civil society in the southern border provinces. Data were collected using qualitative methods, such as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with a sample of 48 key informants, including managers and staff of agencies in the three sectors of interest. The focus was on personnel who had responsibility for inter-agency collaboration. The dimensions of collaboration include the economic sphere, education, justice/security, community/society/culture, and rehabilitation and promotion of quality of life for persons adversely affected by the unrest in the sub-region. Primary data were processed using content analysis, and the results were linked with relevant theory and concepts from the literature. This study of collaboration between the government, private sector, and civil society in the southern border provinces identified different types of cooperation. In the government, there are collaborative partners, networks, and cooperative governance. In the private sector, there are bilateral partners, networks, and arrangements in which the private sector entity is considered a joint owner of the project. Civil society groups usually are part of a network with which the government may have established a working mechanism (Collaborative Governance) and network collaboration (Collaborative Network). This research has identified four principal types of collaborative management: 1) JurisdictionBased Management Model; 2) Top-Down Model; 3) Cooperative and Recipient Management Model (i.e., Donor-Recipient Model); and 4) Reactive Management Model (Reactive Model). As for the structure of the government, most agencies have not created a special unit to manage collaboration with other agencies or sectors. However, if there is a special issue linked to the resolution of unrest in the subregion, an ad hoc unit may be set up for collaboration, including the creation of working mechanisms through various committees. Neither the private sector nor civil society organizations have dedicated units to promote collaboration. However, civil society may take a more proactive approach to support requests for coordination to assist with negotiations with interest groups and advocacy of certain issues. Mechanisms for government collaboration include both formal (i.e., MOUs) and non-formal agreements. The private sector and civil society do not emphasize the importance of having an MOU, but if they do enter into an MOU, that will help build confidence for cooperation. There are both horizontal and vertical collaborative activities. This research was able to identify factors that facilitate cooperation between the government, private sector and civil society in the southern border provinces of Thailand. Starting from the strongest, these factors include the following: Expectation of mutual benefit, mutual agreement, common goals, and information sharing. The factors which obstruct or impede collaboration include (deficiencies in) the following: Resources and management processes, organizational culture and relations between organizations, the structure and mechanism of work, coordination and communication, competency of personnel in the organization, and organizational environment. The synthesis of facilitating and impeding factors was conducted to produce a proposed model which the government can apply to improve prospects for effective collaboration with the private sector and civil society in the southern border provinces of Thailand. The model consists of the following components: 1) Having common goals; 2) Having mutual benefit; 3) Having mutual agreements; 4) Sharing information; 5) Having a supportive structure and mechanism for coordination and communication; 6) Ensuring effective management resources and processes; 7) Promoting a favorable organizational culture and relationships between organizations; 8) Building competency of personnel in the organization; and 9) Creating a favorable organizational environment.