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SEILA program’s communication strategy to promote decentralization in communes in Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia
Thesis Abstract:
A survey was conducted from April to May 2009 to describe the SEILA program’s communication strategy to promote decentralization in the communes of Kampong Thom, Central Cambodia. Specifically, the study aimed to: (1) describe the profile of the respondents of the study composed of household heads and authorities in selected communes, and selected SEILA officers; (2) describe the SEILA program’s vision, goals, and communication strategy in terms of objectives, message sources, messages, channels used, and approaches to promote decentralization; and (3) determine the effectiveness of the SEILA program’s communication strategy in terms of the awareness, attitude, and participation of people in selected communes in the decentralization process.
A total of 98 respondents were randomly selected from Prasat (46) and Kakaoh (52) communes and surveyed using structured questionnaires. Key informant interviews of two SEILA officials and secondary information supplemented the empirical data. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, mean, and percentages were used to analyze the data.
The communication strategy used by the SEILA program to promote decentralization was primarily through Commune Council meetings or public communication, which was top-down and unilinear. Hence, all the respondents knew about decentralization and perceived it to be important. However, they still had to develop a deeper understanding of its meaning and its processes, as well as their roles in the decentralization process.
In Petty’s (1995) typology of participation, the people were engaged in passive participation. They participated mainly in infrastructure projects such as construction of roads and building of wells rather than in helping plan, manage, or evaluate projects that affect their communities. They all voted during the election, but this was to choose the party from which their Commune Council officials would be selected for appointment.
Based on their attitude ratings, they wanted to strengthen the Commune Council through capability building, enhancement of communication skills, funding, and creation of plans for the commune. They also wanted more participation in the Commune Council such as taking part in the election of officials, raising the members’ needs to the District Council, and involvement in the decision-making on programs and activities for the commune.
Recommendations were given to improve the communication strategy for enhancing the commune members’ perception of, appreciation for, and participation in the decentralization process.
