タイ国における「郡長」の政治機能 : 「ラーチャカーン」の政治的本質との関連で(<特集>故水野浩一教授を偲んで)

Abstract

This article aims at clarifying one aspect of the political system of Thailand by bringing into relief the political function played by district officers (naai amphəə). More than five hundred district officers are now engaged in administrative duties all over Thailand. Their primary function is to work as "points of contact" between the government and the people. They are appointed government officials who keep in direct contact with elected "kamnans" at the lowest of the administrative echelons of Thailand. There are two main themes which the author tries to analyze in this article. One is the balance to be kept between the "output" and the "input" of the Thai political system by district officers when they function officially as "points of contact" between the government and the people. The other is the political nature of the so-called "raatchakaan" which permeates the Thai bureaucracy.