The World Bank in Vietnam on Jan. 21 announced the Vietnam Development Report – an annual publication that is aimed to help shape the country’s reform agenda.
The publication, “Vietnam Development Report 2010 – Modern Institutions” focuses on decentralisation and accountability, two aspects of modern institutions that are the essence of Vietnam’s experience in the past two decades.
According to the report, the Doi Moi reforms in Vietnam are widely credited for having brought about incentives for production and growth.
It said Vietnam’s experience over the past two decades has shown decentralisation from central to provincial and lower levels of the government, to administrative and service delivery units, to the courts and to elected bodies, as well as to the media and civil society.
This year’s report acknowledges that decentralising authority and removing hierarchical controls may have benefit, but it underlines a fundamental issue: How can accountability be assured after decentralisation?
It said that though many new forms of accountability are being introduced, they are not always optimal and many gaps still remain.
The Vietnam Development Report 2010 is regarded as a tool for international donors to communicate not only with government but also with one another.
Its overall objective is to help shape the reform agenda and build consensus among think-tanks and the public. With a focus on modern institutions, this year’s publication represents a joint report of the donor community on progress and prospects for Vietnam ’s development and aspirations for a decentralised and accountable system./.