Political Antecedents and Administrative Power Effecting the Work Performance of Direct-elected Mayor: A case Study at Lampang Province

Abstract

The research aimed to study the satisfaction level on the political antecedents in using power for administration regarding the relationship between the administrative team and the board of council; the influence of political antecedents towards using power for administration regarding the relationship between the administrative team and the board of council; and the political behavior effecting the work performance of the direct-elected mayor. The research employed the quantitative method to collect data, using a questionnaire as a tool and the sample was 400 people from Lampang Municipal Area, Kelangnakorn Municipal Area, Koh Kah Municipal Area, and Hang Chat Municipal Area. Hierarchical Regression Analysis was also used to find out the relationship among variables, their direct and indirect effects, and the value of influence towards the performance. On the other hand, qualitative method was also used via indepth interview. The sample was 10 people; the mayor, the chairman of the board of council, the members of board of council, and the municipal clerks, who were involved in election process and have been working with the mayor. The data was then analyzed by using content analysis method. The result found that the work performance of the mayor was related to political behavior, and the administrative power; while the relationship between the administrative team and the board of council was at a moderate level, and they had effect on each other directly and indirectly, having statistical significance with the quantitative data and was in line with the qualitative data. The relationship and the linkage between political behavior and administrative power, and the relationship between the administrative team and the board of council were regarded as the evolution of political culture in local organization.