Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Capital Development of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand: A Case Study of the Ban Klong Rue Community Hydropower Plant

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand’s implementation of social responsibility in a community hydropower plant construction project, and 2) to investigate the social capital development process of the Ban Klong Rue community. This qualitative case study research employed the documentary research technique and in-depth interview method to collect data from the employees of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, the people in the Ban Klong Rue community, and the network partners.

The results suggested that the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand provided a 10 million baht financial assistance, power generator, and vehicles to support the construction of the hydropower plant in the Ban Klong Rue community and also sent representatives to collaborate with the community and partners during the pre-construction, construction, and post-construction periods. As a result, the social capital development of Ban Klong Rue was affected in three dimensions: 1) network: there were many partners from various organizations joining the network, enabling the accumulation of resources within the network; 2) norms: the mutual agreements among the partners and the villagers were determined; and 3) trust: there were dynamics of trust in the community, which continually became more stable.