PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN ASEAN : COMPARATIVE STUDIES BETWEEN LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC AND THAILAND

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the form and structure of the local government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and local government of Thailand, 2) to study the comparative study of the local governance of the Lao PDR and Thailand and other countries in the ASEAN region. This study was a qualitative study. Research methodology studied the sources of documents on local government of the Lao PDR and Thailand including other countries in the ASEAN region. Data was collected by answering questionnaires on legal issues from the Lao PDR and Thai lawyers.

The results showed that forms and structures of local government in the Lao PDR and Thailand were the similarities and differences in the point that the Lao PDR local government was divided and decentralized in the so-called "hierarchy", namely; district, city and Ta Saeng. Each of them had a governing body, a People's Council, and a public organization which was under the leadership of the (Lao) party. The district administrative organization was the decentralized system of any part of the administrative power to the locality. In case of Thailand was decentralized form of local government which the decentralization was based on a higher-ranking master law. The comparative study of the local governance of the Lao PDR and Thailand and other countries in the ASEAN region was found that the comparative study of issues of local government was a government that had accessed the services to the people in that locality as the people’s needs. This was an important duty that the state should take into account and governed for the direct benefit of the people.