IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/policy/v50y2017i4d10.1007_s11077-017-9284-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The effects of rules on local political decision-making processes: How can rules facilitate participation?

Author

Listed:
  • Insa Theesfeld

    (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg)

  • Tom Dufhues

    (Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO))

  • Gertrud Buchenrieder

    (Technische Universität München)

Abstract

It is often claimed that participation empowers local actors and that an inclusive decision-making process is crucial for rural development. We aim to investigate how formal and informal rules are set in local decision-making processes and how those rules may impact the actual level of participation by local actors. In a comparative case study, the rules-in-use for the planning of community projects in Thailand are examined. For our analysis, we use the Institutional Analysis and Development framework, which allows for more precise analysis of the impact of the rules. Fifty-three villages are served by four selected Tambon Administrative Organisations (TAO) which are either known for success in achieving participation or ranked as problematic in implementing the decentralization and local participation goals of the Thai government. The study is based on 60 semi-structured interviews with TAO staff, a survey of village leaders in 50 villages and a household survey of 104 villagers. We scrutinize seven types of rules and show some particular differences in terms of the impact from the rules-in-use. In the TAOs ranked as less participatory, the attendance rate in the meetings is found to be lower (boundary rule), villagers are informed about a meeting with a shorter notice (information rule) and more villagers mention that elites interfere in the project selection process (aggregation rule). A high level of fuzziness appeared in the position and authority rules. Further, we obtained information on the particular deontic logic, showing generally a high share of de facto may-statements in the implementation of the rules. We conclude that if the policy goal is enhancing participation, rule-setting offers good scope for intervention. From a practical perspective, information on administrative procedures has to be made more accessible and public administrators should receive procedural training.

Suggested Citation

  • Insa Theesfeld & Tom Dufhues & Gertrud Buchenrieder, 2017. "The effects of rules on local political decision-making processes: How can rules facilitate participation?," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 50(4), pages 675-696, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:policy:v:50:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s11077-017-9284-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11077-017-9284-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11077-017-9284-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11077-017-9284-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Crawford, Sue E. S. & Ostrom, Elinor, 1995. "A Grammar of Institutions," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 89(3), pages 582-600, September.
    2. Masahiko Aoki, 2013. "Endogenizing institutions and institutional changes," Chapters, in: Comparative Institutional Analysis, chapter 16, pages 267-297, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Elinor Ostrom, 2010. "Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(3), pages 641-672, June.
    4. Elinor Ostrom, 2014. "Do institutions for collective action evolve?," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 3-30, April.
    5. Achim Schlüter & Insa Theesfeld, 2010. "The grammar of institutions: The challenge of distinguishing between strategies, norms, and rules," Rationality and Society, , vol. 22(4), pages 445-475, November.
    6. Speer, Johanna, 2012. "Participatory Governance Reform: A Good Strategy for Increasing Government Responsiveness and Improving Public Services?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(12), pages 2379-2398.
    7. Harri Raisio & Pirkko Vartiainen, 2015. "Accelerating the public’s learning curve on wicked policy issues: results from deliberative forums on euthanasia," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 48(3), pages 339-361, September.
    8. Simon Birnbaum & Örjan Bodin & Annica Sandström, 2015. "Tracing the sources of legitimacy: the impact of deliberation in participatory natural resource management," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 48(4), pages 443-461, December.
    9. Weerasak Krueathep, 2004. "Local Government Initiatives in Thailand: Cases and Lessons Learned," Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 217-239, December.
    10. Gaventa, John & Barrett, Gregory, 2012. "Mapping the Outcomes of Citizen Engagement," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(12), pages 2399-2410.
    11. Thomas Dufhues & Insa Theesfeld & Gertrud Buchenrieder, 2015. "The Political Economy of Decentralization in Thailand: How Past and Present Decentralization Affects rural Actors’ Participation," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 27(5), pages 793-810, December.
    12. Pranab Bardhan, 2002. "Decentralization of Governance and Development," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 16(4), pages 185-205, Fall.
    13. Eduardo Araral, 2014. "Policy and regulatory design for developing countries: a mechanism design and transaction cost approach," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 47(3), pages 289-303, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Eko Priyo Purnomo & Abitassha Az Zahra & Ajree Ducol Malawani & Prathivadi Anand, 2021. "The Kalimantan Forest Fires: An Actor Analysis Based on Supreme Court Documents in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-12, February.
    2. Sad Dian Utomo & Irfan Ridwan Maksum & Teguh Kurniawan, 2023. "The Institutional Dynamics of Sub-District in Indonesia," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 43(1), pages 1-36, May.
    3. Droste, Nils & Lienhoop, Nele & Hansjürgens, Bernd, 2021. "Local participatory budgeting in a multilevel government – an institutional analysis of Ecuadorian municipal expenditure policies," SocArXiv w6usk, Center for Open Science.
    4. Amoako, Frimpong & Asuamah Yeboah, Samuel, 2023. ""Community Voices in Control: A Systematic Review of Local Representation's Influence on RCB Governance Structure’’," MPRA Paper 118629, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 10 Sep 2023.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Muhammad Syukri, 2024. "Neglecting the poor and marginalized: Participatory village governance in Indonesia's New Developmentalist state," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 42(4), July.
    2. Saba Siddiki & Xavier Basurto & Christopher M. Weible, 2012. "Using the institutional grammar tool to understand regulatory compliance: The case of Colorado aquaculture," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(2), pages 167-188, June.
    3. Catherine Ragasa & Cristina Alvarez-Mingote & Paul McNamara, 2024. "Bottom-Up Approaches and Decentralized Extension Structures for Improving Access to and Quality of Extension Services and Technology Adoption: Multi-level Analysis from Malawi," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 36(5), pages 1093-1146, October.
    4. Njagi, T. & Kinyumu, N. & Kirimi, L., 2018. "farm household’s participation in governance: lessons from devolved systems in kenya," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 276006, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. de Renzio, Paolo & Wehner, Joachim, 2017. "The impacts of fiscal openness," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 82521, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Dimitrios Zikos, 2020. "Revisiting the Role of Institutions in Transformative Contexts: Institutional Change and Conflicts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-20, October.
    7. Elinor Ostrom, 2014. "Do institutions for collective action evolve?," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 3-30, April.
    8. Droste, Nils & Lienhoop, Nele & Hansjürgens, Bernd, 2021. "Local participatory budgeting in a multilevel government – an institutional analysis of Ecuadorian municipal expenditure policies," SocArXiv w6usk, Center for Open Science.
    9. Simon O'Meally, 2014. "The Contradictions of Pro-poor Participation and Empowerment: The World Bank in East Africa," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 45(6), pages 1248-1283, November.
    10. Josemiguel Lana Berasain & Miguel Laborda Pemán, 2013. "El anidamiento institucional y su dinámica histórica en comunidades rurales complejas. Dos estudios de caso (Navarra, siglos XIV-XX)," Documentos de Trabajo de la Sociedad de Estudios de Historia Agraria 1307, Sociedad de Estudios de Historia Agraria.
    11. Kashwan, Prakash & MacLean, Lauren M. & García-López, Gustavo A., 2019. "Rethinking power and institutions in the shadows of neoliberalism," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 133-146.
    12. Giuseppe Vita & Livio Ferrante, 2021. "Is legislation grease or sand to economic growth? An econometric analysis using data from Italian regions before and after the 2008 crisis," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 541-561, June.
    13. Muhammad Syukri, . "Gender Policies of the New Developmental State: The Case of Indonesian New Participatory Village Governance," Journal Article, Publications Department.
    14. Baranov, Alexey & Malkov, Egor & Polishchuk, Leonid & Rochlitz, Michael & Syunyaev, Georgiy, 2015. "How (not) to measure Russian regional institutions," Russian Journal of Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(2), pages 154-181.
    15. Jorge Niosi, 2010. "Building National and Regional Innovation Systems," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14006.
    16. Lucas, David S. & Fuller, Caleb S. & Packard, Mark D., 2022. "Made to be broken? A theory of regulatory governance and rule-breaking entrepreneurial action," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(6).
    17. Palagashvili,Liya & Piano,Ennio & Skarbek,David, 2017. "The Decline and Rise of Institutions," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781316649176, September.
    18. Buntaine, Mark T. & Daniels, Brigham & Devlin, Colleen, 2018. "Can information outreach increase participation in community-driven development? A field experiment near Bwindi National Park, Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 407-421.
    19. Olivera Kostoska & Ljupco Kocarev, 2019. "A Novel ICT Framework for Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-31, April.
    20. Chong Kyoon Lee & Johan Wiklund & Alejandro Amezcua & Tae Jun Bae & Almantas Palubinskas, 2022. "Business failure and institutions in entrepreneurship: a systematic review and research agenda," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 1997-2023, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:policy:v:50:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s11077-017-9284-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.