COLLABORATIVE PUBLIC MANAGEMENT IN UNDERGROUND WATER BANK PROJECTS: A MULTI-THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT INNOVATION IN THAILAND

This study examines collaborative public management (CPM) in underground water bank projects across three Thai local governments, addressing gaps in CPM research that predominantly focuses on developed countries. Using qualitative methodology with 32 in-depth interviews across five stakeholder groups local government officials (9), government agency representatives (9), academic experts (3), community leaders and citizens (9), and civil society organizations (2) the research investigates how CPM operates in resource-constrained environments. The study explores three key questions: how CPM dimensions manifest in resource-limited contexts, whether technology enhances collaborative governance relationships, and what mechanisms enable knowledge integration in environmental management. Findings reveal that effective CPM requires hybrid leadership combining transformational and network orchestration capabilities, technology-enhanced coordination that builds upon rather than replaces existing social capital, and institutional layering that creates new arrangements while respecting traditional structures. The research contributes eight theoretical advances to collaborative governance understanding, demonstrating that CPM dimensions manifest differently in developing countries and require systematic adaptation rather than direct replication of developed country models. Results highlight the importance of context-sensitive CPM approaches and advance knowledge of technology-social capital integration in developing country environmental governance, particularly in water resource management.