Vietnam

There have been important changes in the budgeting process in Vietnam since 2006 when the government of Vietnam instituted a revolutionary reform in the management and... Show More + allocation of the state budget. For the period of 2007-2010, the norms include ethnic minority population data, and poverty rates. The purpose of this research assignment is to describe the evolution of budgeting mechanisms in recent years, in association with capital expenditure transferred from central to provincial budgets. This report focuses on changes in the budgeting process and allocation norms. It is also assesses whether these recent changes are pro-poor, and how they would affect availability of resources for the national targeted programs. Show Less -

The coverage of social assistance in Vietnam is expected to expand over the coming years in line with Government plans for further strengthening social security. This... Show More + raises the question of whether the governance and administrative arrangements for social assistance at all levels are sufficiently robust to handle a larger program. This note provides a rapid assessment of the arrangements for delivering Vietnam's main social assistance program, social assistance under Decrees 67 and 13, and proposes options for further strengthening in the short and medium term. It aims to make a timely contribution to the ongoing policy discussions about strengthening social assistance as part of the implementation of the Social Security Strategy 2011-2020. The note reflects findings from visits to Ha Giang Province and Ho Chi Minh City in July 2010. It finds that the current delivery mechanisms for social assistance are basic, with limited human resources, no caseload management and no integrated database that would allow tracking of beneficiary numbers. While such basic governance and administrative arrangements may be appropriate for a small program such as social assistance under Decree 67 in the past, the expected increase in beneficiary coverage implies that program administration will have to be systematically strengthened and professionalized to ensure effective implementation. Moreover, the development of a modern system of social policy in Vietnam will also require the expansion of skills in social work, in particular of those currently involved in delivering social assistance and who will remain the main interface to current and prospective beneficiaries at the local level. Show Less -

This report aims to contribute to the discussion of appropriate social protection strategies for Vietnam. It does so in the understanding that this is a new area, closer... Show More + to the second generation reforms faced by middle-income countries than to the structural reforms Vietnam has so successfully gone through over the last two decades. It also does so in the understanding that a common vision exists among policy makers, academics and the population at large. But at this early stage the specifics remain unclear, often resulting in frustration in the daily implementation of social policies and programs. The report also tries to extract a few major policy recommendations, cutting across all these vertical chapters. These recommendations amount to basic principles which could help build a more integrated social protection system in Vietnam. They can be summarized under the form of four policy priorities: extending coverage, strengthening incentives, improving information, and managing resources. Show Less -