Taches commune is located around 30 minutes drive from Kampong Chhnang provincial town. After traveling away from the national road for about 15 minutes on a laterite road (approximately 5km), it can be observed that living standards start to change the further you go. Living standards are better in the upper part of the commune, closer to the urban area and the national road; those of the people living far from the urban area and the national road are worse. This latter area is where the very old Taches commune office is located. ….

In general, the commune budget is used mostly for infrastructure projects, which absorb a huge amount of money, are big and are also able to serve people’s needs. These achievements are easier to count and remember as compared with non-infrastructure achievements, which are mostly not implemented by the CC. However, this did not mean that the council has forgotten or passed over service delivery projects. The CC has many service delivery projects in its three-year rolling commune investment program (CIP), seeking support from provincial line departments, NGOs, institutions and charitable persons in the annual district integration workshop (DIW) between August and November. The CC is clear that it will not use the commune budget to implement such projects. …

Please read the whole case study of Taches commune here 7-case-study-taches-commune-english-final.doc