Public Service Co-Providing of the Elderly in Ubon Ratchathani Province

Abstract

Providing public services at the time of the country becoming an ageing society is a public administrative challenge for a government with limited funding and human resources. At the same time, the role of the senior citizens in a society has been more important in the present days. This study as a result considers the senior citizens as important strategic resources that can be used to co-produce public services with the state. The study surveys the public services and the condition of co-production of elderly citizens by collecting qualitative data regarding the participation of socially active seniors in public service provisions in five Ubon Ratchathani districts. The total number of research participants is 92 people. The data collection was done by using group discussions and in-depth interviews with the officials from related government agencies.

The study found that the seniors participated in various types of public service co-production depending on individual’s or group’s interests, the degree of urbanization of the cities, and the support from government agencies both within and outside the communities. The elders mostly participated in providing religious and cultural services. Other public services that the elders helped to provide included politics, economy, education, environment, and security respectively.