One could expect some social or charitable involvement from any member of a church. The Thai government initiated several development strategies, with the same objective as development monks concerning economic growth and social welfare, but very different approaches. The main difference lies in the geographical scale of the programmes. The monks have the perspective of individual villages. They implement projects according to the needs they identify locally.
People are familiar with the monks and the programmes.
On the other hand, the government initiates programs applicable to every village. These programmes are not necessarily well understood by the villagers, who may not participate actively. The bureaucratic procedures are an obstacle to flexibility. In the monk's approach to development, the individual is crucial. The program is dedicated to the individual, even if co-operation is highly stimulated.