Citizen‐Centric Governance in Practice: Democratic and Co‐Creational Innovations in Subnational Thailand

ABSTRACT This article examines how local governments in Thailand are advancing citizen‐centric governance through participatory design, digital tools, and multi‐stakeholder collaboration. Drawing on three municipal case studies—Ko Kha's geo‐informatics tax mapping reform, Ban Phai's participatory flood resilience system, and Maha Sarakham's Eco‐School initiative—the study analyzes how subnational administrations mobilize civic engagement to address complex governance challenges. Employing the Participatory Co‐Creation Governance (PCG) framework, which integrates democratic innovation and citizen‐driven innovation, the analysis reconceptualizes participation as a relational and iterative process embedded in everyday governance practices. The findings suggest that, even under fiscal and administrative constraints, locally embedded innovations can enhance responsiveness, transparency, and trust when supported by sustained citizen engagement and collaborative institutional arrangements. At the same time, the cases reveal important frictions—including uneven participation, digital divides, and contested collaboration—highlighting the contingent and negotiated nature of democratic innovation in practice. Rather than offering broadly generalizable conclusions, the study provides analytically transferable insights into the conditions under which citizen‐centric governance can emerge in resource‐constrained and politically hybrid settings. In doing so, it contributes to the literature on public sector innovation in developing contexts and offers practical implications for policymakers and practitioners seeking to institutionalize participatory governance as part of decentralization and democratic development strategies.