The Co-Production Model in Senior Housing Implementation in Thailand

Thailand is currently facing challenges in providing appropriate housing for the elderly. Although these efforts emphasize a co-production approach—recognized as an effective method for delivering public services today— the outcomes of Thailand's senior housing initiatives have been disappointing when compared to the government goals. This study aims to explore these efforts through qualitative research, including in-depth interviews with 124 key informants and non-participatory observations across elderly welfare homes and house modification services. The findings reveal three forms of co-production in this area: consumer co-production, participative co-production, and co-management. Additionally, it highlights key issues for enhancement co-production, including unequal relationships among co-producers, government-led approaches, philanthropic voluntarism, and the failure of co-production outputs to meet service standards.