University of Hohenheim Faculty of Agricultural Sciences Institute of Social Sciences in Agriculture Agricultural Communication and Extension Prof. em. Dr. Volker Hoffmann COLLABORATIVE WATER GOVERNANCE IN THAILAND: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING? Dissertation Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of “Doktor der Agrarwissenschaften” (Dr. sc. agr./Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences) to the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences presented by SUKIT KANJINA Born in Chiang Rai, Thailand 2015 This thesis was accepted as a doctoral dissertation in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree “Doktor der Agrarwissenschaften” (Dr.sc.agr. / Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences) by the faculty Agricultural Sciences of the University of Hohenheim on 12.06.2015. Date of oral examination: 23.07.2015 Examination Committee Head of the Committee: Prof. Dr. Thilo Streck Supervisor and Reviewer: Prof. em. Dr. Volker Hoffmann Co-Reviewer: Prof. Dr. Regina Birner Additional Examiner: Prof. Dr. Joachim Müller ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people who contributed to the completion of this thesis in one way or other. First of all, I would like to thank the members of the Ping River Basin Committee and its sub-committee, officers of the Upper Ping River Basin Coordination and Management Section (URCMS), leaders of the Mae Tang Water User Association and muang fai groups, as well as the mayors and staff from several local government organizations, for the time they devoted and insights and opinions they shared. My sincere gratitude goes to the Director of the URCMS for allowing me to observe meetings and activities organized under the Ping River Basin Committee framework. My special note of appreciation also goes to the URCMS officers, who were always supportive and keen to answer my questions and requests. In addition, I thank the chairman of the Mae Tang Water User Association for allowing ‘a student’ to observe and learn about irrigation water management. I gratefully acknowledge the financial support given by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through the Uplands Program (SFB 564) during my data collection period in Thailand, and my stay in Germany. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. em. Dr. Volker Hoffmann. Without his support, encouragement, and understanding, this thesis would not have been possible. I would like to thank also Prof. Dr. Regina Birner and Prof. Dr. Joachim Müller for serving on the examination committee. In addition, my special thanks go to Prof. Dr. Andreas Neef, who introduced me to the Uplands Program (SFB 564), and provided suggestions during an earlier research period for this thesis. I give thanks to my friends and colleagues who were at the Uplands Program (SFB 564), Chiang Mai Office, Thailand, for their friendships and support during my data collection period. I fully appreciate my friends and colleagues at Institute 430a, especially, Vinzenz Bauer, Iven Schad, Mahmoudi Hossein, Chalathon Choocharoen, Nicole Flick, and Iris Perst, for providing their support and time in a very joyful and memorable experience. I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to Panom Gunawong, Nopasom Sinphurmsukskul, Patchimaporn Udomkun, Pattamawadee Jongruck, Rapattra Hirunrangsit, and Parinya Sitthiroj, whose friendships and encouragement are greatly appreciated. I Lastly, I would like to thank Damrong Rattanaphreuk, Pimprapai Viriyaparp, the Rickson family, Yarnvudhi family, and my family for their endless support and encouragement. To you all, I am eternally grateful. Chiang Mai, July 2015 Sukit Kanjina II TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................... II TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... III LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................ VI LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ VII LIST OF BOXES............................................................................................................... VIII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................. IX 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Research background ............................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research questions and objectives .......................................................................... 4 1.3 Research outcomes and contributions ..................................................................... 5 1.4 Structure of the thesis .............................................................................................. 5 2. COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE: A REVIEW OF CONCEPTS AND ISSUES ............................................................................................................................ 7 2.1 Governance .............................................................................................................. 7 2.2 Collaborative governance ........................................................................................ 9 2.2.1 Collaborative public management ............................................................. 11 2.2.2 A process of collaboration ......................................................................... 11 2.2.3 Management of collaborative networks .................................................... 14 2.2.4 Legal infrastructure for collaboration ........................................................ 17 2.3 Collaborative governance in the water sector ........................................................ 21 2.3.1 Collaborative water governance ................................................................ 21 2.3.2 River basin governance ............................................................................. 24 2.3.3 River basin organizations in Thailand ....................................................... 31 2.4 The Thai administrative system: an overview ....................................................... 33 2.5 Chapter summary ................................................................................................... 37 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................ 38 3.1 Conceptual background ......................................................................................... 38 3.2 The course of the RBC framework and the Ping RBC .......................................... 39 3.3 Data collection and analysis .................................................................................. 42 3.3.1 Data collection methods ............................................................................ 42 3.3.2 Documentary data ...................................................................................... 44 3.3.3 Data analysis .............................................................................................. 45 3.4 Critical evaluation of the methods applied ............................................................ 48 3.5 Chapter summary ................................................................................................... 50 III 4. WATER GOVERNANCE IN THAILAND: POLICIES AND CURRENT PRACTICES ................................................................................................................. 51 4.1 Recent water policies ............................................................................................. 51 4.1.1 The national water policy .......................................................................... 51 4.1.2 The five-year national economic and social development plans ............... 53 4.1.3 The government’s water resource-related policies .................................... 55 4.2 Water bill and the river basin committee frameworks .......................................... 57 4.2.1 Water bill: a background ........................................................................... 57 4.2.2 The RBC frameworks in the water bill ...................................................... 58 4.3 Current water governance practices ...................................................................... 61 4.3.1 Irrigation water governance in the Mae Tang Operation and Maintenance Project ........................................................................................................ 61 4.3.2 Traditional irrigation system ..................................................................... 65 4.3.3 Roles of local government organizations on water governance ................ 68 4.4 The RBC frameworks ............................................................................................ 69 4.4.1 The 2002 RBC framework ........................................................................ 69 4.4.2 The 2007 RBC framework ........................................................................ 74 4.5 Chapter summary ................................................................................................... 83 5. IMPLEMENTING COLLABORATIVE WATER GOVERNANCE: THE PING RIVER BASIN COMMITTEE ................................................................................... 85 5.1 Formations of the Ping RBC and its governing bodies ........................................