Leadership, trust, proximity to government, and community-based enterprise development in rural Thailand

ABSTRACT This article examines the relation between leadership, government, trust, and how community-based enterprises (CBEs) access markets. It argues that leadership styles, the relation with the government, and level of trust among members and networks lead to different patterns of market access of local community enterprises. Conducting field research and in-depth interviews with CBEs in northeastern, central, and southern Thailand, it was found that some CBEs establish their enterprises and networks and directly access markets without relying on the government. Meanwhile, other CBEs are more likely to rely on the government to establish their enterprises, to connect with other local enterprises, and to access markets. Leadership, trust within enterprises, and proximity to government agencies can explain the different paths of CBE market access. Instead of implementing a universal program for all CBEs, the government needs to be concerned with the specific characteristics of CBEs in order to respond directly to their needs.