Application of Agati Dhamma for Promoting Political Leadership Among Municipal Executives at Phu Khieo District in Chaiyaphum Province

Abstract

This research aimed to: (1) examine the level of political leadership among the municipal executives in Phu Khiao District, Chaiyaphum Province; (2) investigate the relationship between the Buddhist principle of impartiality (freedom from the Four Prejudices, or Agati) and their political leadership; and (3) propose the guidelines for the application of this principle to enhance their political leadership. This study employed the mixed-methods research design. For the quantitative phase, the data were collected from some sample of 397 participants by using a questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using the descriptive statistics, including the frequency, the percentage, the mean, and the standard deviation. Hypotheses were tested by using the Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient. For the qualitative phase, some data were gathered from the nine key informants through in-depth interviews, which were then subjected to descriptive analysis.
The findings revealed that: (1) The overall level of political leadership among the executives was at the high (x̄ =4.01)., (2) The relationship between the principle of impartiality and political leadership was found that the statistically significant or strong positive correlation was at high (R = .956**). (3) For the application of these Buddhist principles to enhance the political leadership, the study suggests that the executives should demonstrate the profound knowledge, the competence, and the confidence in the problem-solving; possess the strong ideological convictions and the steadfast commitment to the important morality and ethics; prioritize the both task accomplishment and collegial well-being; uphold the righteousness even when facing some pressure or threats; and actively engage in the exchange of ideas with colleagues to foster some innovation and embrace the new challenges.