2018 PAPI Report: Vietnamese more satisfied with public services

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According to the report, scores also rose for processing of construction permits and personal documents.

Over 14,300 citizens randomly selected from all 63 provinces were interviewed for the 2018 PAPI Report. The index assesses citizen experiences with national and local government performance in governance, public administration and public service delivery.

2018 PAPI Report: Vietnamese more satisfied with public services.

This year’s report marks 10 years since the first PAPI research began in 2009. Over the past decade, more than 117,000 Vietnamese citizens from all parts of the country have contributed to making PAPI a widely recognized source of objective, up-to-date data on local government performance for the interest of all Vietnamese citizens.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Resident Representative a.i. in Vietnam said: “After ten years, PAPI continues to serve as a powerful instrument to promote good governance in Viet Nam. The heart of PAPI is very close to United Nations Development Program (UNDP)’s mission – putting people at the center of development. 

PAPI provides a tool for listening to citizens, to their expectations of governance, and in that way enables them to participate in the governance process. Over the years PAPI has become a model instrument for participatory governance that other countries have sought to emulate as a key indicator for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on peaceful, just, inclusive societies.”

In 2018, fewer citizens said they need to pay a bribe for state employment, public health care, primary education, or construction permits, continuing the steady decline seen in 2017.  In addition, while nearly 60% of citizens said that corruption at the commune level had decreased in the past three years.

As gender equality is a high priority in Vietnam’s sustainable development agenda, the 2018 report examines public views on gender and leadership positions. 

Citizens reported several positive trends related to political participation at the local level in 2018. Results indicate a consistent decrease in the number of citizens reporting that they were asked by a village chief or local official to contribute to a project: about 50% of those contributing said they did so volunteering in 2017 and 2018, which was up from an average of about 45% prior to 2017.

The dimension of transparency in local decision-making also saw significant improvement, including higher satisfaction with transparency of commune budgets and expenditures. These are important improvements that speak to increasing openness at local level.

In the vertical accountability dimension, a greater number of citizens reported interactions with village and commune authorities in 2018 than in 2017.

Regarding provision of basic public service, the 2018 results reveal a striking divergence. The public health sub-dimension, for example, saw continued improvement, largely thanks to the increased number of respondents accessing health insurance, with the coverage rate rising from 80% in 2017 to 87% in 2018. 

Scores in the basic infrastructure sub-dimension, which includes garbage collection, road quality, and electrification, also improved dramatically in 2018.

When asked about the most important issues facing the country, poverty was again the most important issue for citizens in 2018.

In response to this emerging challenge, the 2018 PAPI survey included a series of questions to better understand citizen’s view and performances related environmental governance.