Abstract:
The purpose of this research is to study Chiang Mai as a regional growth center to evaluate the role and function of the city Chiang Mai whether or not to spreads economic influence over its hinterland. The theoretical frame work of this study is The Growth Pole Theory which tells that for Chiang Mai to be the growth pole, Chiang Mai has to grow first and Chiang Mai economy has to have economic relation and influence over its hinterland. This study use The Theory Regional Economic Growth to analyze the level of Chiang Mai growth, estimation the correlation coefficients for testing the economic relation between Chiang Mai and hinterland and use Location Quatient Method to find economic base of each province to analyze the commercial trend that occurs in this study area. The results are suggests that Chiang Mai economic has high growth stimulate by the expansion of service sector. The hinterland have developed according to economic base of each province. In almost every province the growth occured from potential it has plus the Government support. Chiang Mai economy and hinterland have quite close relation because Chiang Mai serves as the service exporter at the same time it imported the primary product from its hinterland for use in industrial and reexport to the other region but the rate of import is not high because Chiang Mai can also produce in the same output. It may be concluded that Chiang Mai has served its role as anticipated in The Economic and Social development plan No.6th as the center of commercial, Service, Traveling area in the Upper North and source of industrial link to Lumphun. On the other hand, when considered its role as envisioned by The Growth Pole Concept, Chiang Mai did not be succeeded to be the efficiency growth pole as the role of center, it absorbed the resource and excess in economics of its hinterland more than expanded to them. The development by Growth Pole Concept generated the polalization effects, so The Government should intervene to set the special potential for the hinterland economies, to prepare for the growth that will takeplace and to accerelate the expansion of growth to these area.