Leadership According to Buddhism of Local Politicians to Promote Community Economy of Huamuang Subdistrict at Song District, Phrae Province

Abstract

This research article aims to examine the level of Buddhist-oriented leadership in promoting the community economy, investigate the relationship between the Three Pāpañika-dhammas (principles of a good merchant) and Buddhist-oriented leadership for community economic promotion, and propose an approach to strengthening Buddhist-oriented leadership to support community economic development in Song District, Phrae Province. A mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from a sample of 372 participants aged 18 years and above using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were used to analyze the data, while Pearson’s correlation coefficient was applied to examine the relationship between the Three Pāpañika-dhammas and Buddhist-oriented leadership for community economic promotion. Qualitative data were obtained through interviews and focus group discussions with nine key informants and analyzed using descriptive content analysis.

The findings revealed that the overall level of local politicians’ leadership promotion for community economic development was high. In addition, the Three Pāpañika-dhammas demonstrated a strong positive relationship with the promotion of Buddhist-oriented leadership for community economic development. The proposed leadership approach consists of three dimensions: (1) Cakkhumāleadership, characterized by vision, the ability to identify opportunities for multidimensional community development, the use of technology, and strategic planning to drive the local economy; (2) Vidūro leadership, reflecting domain-specific expertise, the practical transfer of knowledge and skills, collaboration with local communities, and the provision of academic guidance to enhance economic development; and (3) Nisassampanno leadership, emphasizing strong interpersonal relationships, trust-building and cooperation, openness to public opinions, and support for sustainable community development.