Vietnam : Governance and Administration of Social Assistance - A Rapid Assessment and Options for Reform
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 raises the question of whether the governance and administrative arrangements for...
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| Language: | English en_US |
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Washington, DC
2013
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2010/12/16432546/vietnam-governance-administration-social-assistance-rapid-assessment-options-reform http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12775 |
| Summary: | 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 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. |
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