Driving Mechanisms for Policy Implementation in Smart City Development of Songkhla City Municipality, Songkhla Province

Abstract

Although Thailand’s smart city policy is strategically anchored in clear national development frameworks, its implementation at the municipal level remains institutionally complex. This qualitative research study examines the dynamics of smart city policy implementation in Songkhla City Municipality through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and documentary analysis. The analysis is guided by the policy implementation framework of Sabatier and Mazmanian and Chandharasorn’s integrated implementation model and complemented by street-level bureaucracy and governance perspectives.

The findings indicate that policy implementation is driven by four interrelated mechanisms: (1) organizational competency and personnel capacity, (2) strategic planning and control systems, (3) leadership and cross-sector collaboration, and (4) support from national-level agencies. However, these enabling factors coexist with persistent structural constraints, including heavy workloads and staff rotation, fragmented project management, limited fiscal capacity, political discontinuity, rigid procurement regulations, overlapping jurisdiction among government agencies, and limited participation from private actors and citizens.

Analytically, the tension between “strong driving mechanisms” and “enduring obstacles” should not be interpreted as separate findings. Rather, it reflects a structural gap between policy design and operational execution, shaped by institutional arrangements, inter-organizational coordination, and the discretionary practices of frontline officials. The study demonstrates that the effectiveness of smart city implementation is not determined solely by technological readiness but by institutional coherence and governance integration. By situating the empirical findings within established policy implementation theories, this research contributes a context-sensitive explanation of how structural and operational conditions shape the trajectory and limitations of smart city development at the municipal level.