Slower Progress in Provincial Governance Performance in Vietnam

 

Almost 14,000 randomly selected citizens in all 63 provinces and cities nationwide were interviewed about experiences and feelings for the 2015 PAPI. Findings from the 2015 PAPI Report show five out of the six dimensions dropped, including publicity and transparency, corruption control, public engagement at the grassroots level, accountability, and public administration procedures. Only in the public service delivery dimension have scores increased, albeit modestly.

 

Out of the six dimensions, the most substantial drop was in the transparency index, which fell by more than 7 per cent. This decline is partly because of less public awareness of local lists of poor households and less confidence in the accuracy of the information provided. For example, 46 per cent of those surveyed believe that truly poor households are not included in the lists. In 2015 there was also less publicity about local land-use plans and land price frames, and fewer opportunities for citizens to comment on these plans.

 

Ms Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, said, with the National Assembly and People’s Councils elections taking place next month, the 2015 PAPI Report provides an effective tool for the new administration to assess governance and public administration reforms over the last five years and benchmark future performance.

The corruption dimension also witnessed a drop, decreasing by 3 per cent in 2015. Respondents express more concern about corruption in the public sector and in public service delivery and are more worried about corruption and nepotism in public sector employment. In addition, citizens are less confident about the government’s willingness to control corruption, with just 37 per cent saying that their local government is serious about fighting corruption.

 

Furthermore, compared to 2014 there has been a noticeable spike in bribes paid for land use rights certificates. The 2015 PAPI Report finds that the estimated number of respondents who paid bribes to get a land use rights certificate increased to more than 44 per cent in 2015, up from 24 per cent in 2014.

 

There were also significant declines in the participation at local levels and vertical accountability dimensions. In terms of village elections, for example, overall these do not seem to be competitive. In many villages there are not two or more candidates to choose between and local authorities often suggest candidates. As part of vertical accountability, the interaction between citizens and local authorities is measured. Over the past five years, this interaction has been irregular.

 

The public administrative procedures dimension also saw a slight decrease. Of the four public administrative services measured, the quality of services related to land use rights certificates has scored the lowest every year since 2011. More than 22 per cent of those surveyed, for instance, said they had to wait for more than 100 days to get the land use rights paperwork they requested, rather than the 30 days mandated by law.

 

Only in the public service delivery dimension have scores increased, albeit modestly. Yet respondents are still concerned about the quality of district hospitals and are also unhappy with the quality of public primary education.

 

The 2015 PAPI survey featured a new question on what respondents believe are the three most important issues facing the country. Poverty and hunger was identified as the most important issue, with 18 per cent saying this is the most pressing concern. Jobs and employment, roads, corruption and law and order were also identified as important issues.

 

The survey also looked at citizens’ opportunities for political participation. In terms of participation in elections, the survey shows that gender, ethnicity, mass organisation membership and education all influence voter participation. Women, ethnic minorities, those who are less educated and those who are not members of mass organizations are in general less likely to vote. In terms of participation in consultations on proposed legislation, individual factors determine who participates in these. Party membership is the most important factor, while mass organisation membership and education levels also matter to some extent.

 

The 2015 PAPI Report looks at provincial performance from 2011-2015 across the six dimensions. Seven provinces and cities have substantially improved their performance scores over the last five years while 13 provinces and cities have witnessed significant drops. Nam Dinh, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Da Nang and Long An have been in the top performing group in overall provincial performance in the past five years. In general, better performing provinces are found in the north-eastern, central and south-eastern regions. The poorest performing ones are along the northern border area and in the south-central and Central Highlands regions.