Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the current approach that the Thai Government has employed to manage “wicked problems,” using the case of opium in northern Thailand, and analyzing how the network governance approach can contribute to sustainable upland community development. Design/methodology/approach A case study was employed for this research. The data collection was based upon a qualitative research approach, namely in-depth interviews, participatory observation and document research, were all conducted. Findings The study found that the strategy of the Thai Government to manage the opium problem in the upland periphery has changed over time. The recent approach could be illustrated as a form of network governance albeit solely within the governmental realm, which was found to be different from the network governance stratagem currently defined in the dominant literature. This paper suggests that in order to achieve a sustainable solution for upland community development, the mode of network governance should shift toward self-governing networks. In other words, non-state stakeholders should be actively engaged in the network and empowered to manage their problems for sustainable upland community development. Originality/value This paper contributes to the current corpus of network governance literature by introducing an empirical case study from Thailand. In terms of policy implication, this paper provides policy suggestions for governments, especially in Asia, who are actively seeking to resolve “wicked problems” and achieving sustainable community development.

中文翻译：

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泰国北部的网络治理与当代鸦片问题

目的本文的目的是利用泰国北部的鸦片案例，探讨泰国政府目前用于处理“邪恶问题”的方法，并分析网络治理方法如何为可持续的高地社区发展做出贡献。设计/方法/方法本研究采用了案例研究。数据收集基于定性研究方法，即进行了深入访谈，参与性观察和文献研究。研究结果发现，泰国政府应对高地外围地区鸦片问题的战略已随时间而改变。尽管仅在政府领域内，但最近的方法可以说明为一种网络治理形式，发现这与主流文献中当前定义的网络治理策略不同。本文建议，为实现高地社区发展的可持续解决方案，网络治理模式应转向自治网络。换句话说，非国家利益相关者应积极参与网络，并有权管理他们的问题，以实现可持续的高地社区发展。原创性/价值本文通过介绍泰国的经验案例研究，为当前的网络治理文献做出了贡献。在政策含义方面，本文为正在积极寻求解决“邪恶问题”并实现社区可持续发展的政府特别是亚洲国家提供了政策建议。