Vietnam

The expanding coverage of social assistance in Vietnam raises a question of whether relevant arrangements at all levels are sufficiently robust to handle a larger program.... Show More + This note explores institutional and delivery aspects of formal and informal social assistance in metropolitan cities. It is a result of a rapid assessment of governance and administration of social assistance in metropolitan cities, including interviews with related stakeholders in Ho Chi Minh City in July 2010 and in Hanoi in January 2011. Basically, the existing governance and administrative structures for delivery of Decrees 67/13 assistance in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are characterized by a number of common issues elsewhere in the country, as described in previous studies. In addition, this note finds that while the cities may have resources to self-finance their assistance under Decrees 67/13 and provide significant informal assistance through various channels, their determination of exclusive poverty lines without sound scientific grounds may result in substantial inclusion and exclusion errors in locally funded schemes of aid. Furthermore, although the cities provided some forms of off-budget temporary assistance in response to the economic crisis in 2009, their targeting was based on the poor list and the 'conventional' administrative classification of residence status rather than consideration of actual needs as arisen from the crisis. These findings entail systematically strengthening the governance and administrative system of social assistance, given proven substantial increases in beneficiary coverage under Decree 13; improving methods of determining poverty lines; and developing measures to identify emerging needs from external catastrophic shocks and thus formulating an appropriate targeting mechanism in the metropolitan cities. Also, a mechanism is required to effectively harmonize formal and informal assistance in order to optimize resources and maximize the coverage of assistance to needy individuals and households. Show Less -

As it transitions to Middle-Income Country (MIC) status, Vietnam is considering whether its social protection system is adequate to meet rapidly changing needs associated... Show More + with strong economic growth, integration of its economy in regional and global markets, industrialization, urbanization and other economic and societal shifts. Vietnam's social safety net - programs with the following objectives: 1) alleviation of chronic poverty; 2) help to the poor in coping with the worst forms of shocks and transient poverty; and 3) promotion of human development for long-term poverty alleviation. This note aims to assess the system of social safety net programs currently in place in Vietnam and to gauge how well it covers the poor and vulnerable populations. This note highlights two messages: first, it identifies gaps in the current poverty reduction and social protection system - programs that help address urban vulnerability and poverty and that help the poor and vulnerable manage shocks - which could be closed through strengthened and more effective household-targeted social safety net programs. Second, in examining the existing core social safety net programs the note finds that, while targeting is respectable, their primary weakness lies in limited coverage. Based on these findings, this note strengthens household-targeted social safety net interventions in Vietnam as a complement to geographically-targeted poverty reduction programs and social insurance. Show Less -

This report is an attempt to assess the validity of poverty reduction strategies as an effective tool to manage poverty brought about by disability, by reviewing the... Show More + disability policy content of poverty reduction strategy papers. In doing so, the report focuses on whether the specific poverty dimensions of disabled persons are acknowledged and the critical interventions for improving the economic and social integration of disabled persons are included in poverty reduction strategy papers. There is a wide consensus that disabled persons, being disproportionately poor, are among the population groups that should benefit from the poverty reduction programs of poverty reduction strategy papers. The issue, however, is whether they are de facto excluded from benefiting from current poverty reduction strategies. Poverty reduction strategy papers do not meet the needs of disabled persons because they are based on a limited social protection policy that conveys a wrong impression about the abilities and aspirations of the majority of disabled persons. Furthermore, they do not reflect the basic principles of the modern approach to disability adopted by the United Nations. Progress across regions and in developing the various components of the disability strategy has remained uneven. Partly for historical and institutional reasons related to the importance of pensions and transfers for the government budget, disability issues have received more attention among Eastern European countries. They have received the least attention in the Africa region. Show Less -