Poverty, employment and economic growth are the three biggest issues that people are concerned about and want the State to focus on solving this year, according to the survey results of the Public Administration and Governance Effectiveness Index. province (PAPI) in 2023 has just announced.
The painting is not just bright colors
Comparing the results of the PAPI 2023 survey with those of 2021 and 2022, experts who conducted the PAPI report said that in general, the effectiveness of corruption control in the public sector and the effectiveness of e-governance have improved somewhat. . Specifically, the “Control of corruption in the public sector” index increases from 6,71 points in 2022 to 6,77 in 2023. Although only a modest improvement, this change in a more positive direction is also significant. consistent with people’s rankings of issues that the State needs to focus on solving in the coming time. Accordingly, corruption has decreased from 5th position in 2022 to 6th position in 2023 in the list of 10 most worrying issues of the year.
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| 10 most important issues according to people’s assessment in 2023 (Source: PAPI 2023) |
The survey shows that people feel that the current state of corruption tends to decrease in 5 out of 8 public service activities measured through PAPI, including: Government officials using public funds for private purposes; People have to pay “a bribe” to complete the land use right certificate; Local governments receive “shared expenses” for businesses to avoid environmental protection obligations; Parents must “train” teachers so that their children can receive more attention in public elementary schools; and people have to pay “a bribe” to get more attention when going for medical examination and treatment at public hospitals.
However, PAPI 2023 also shows that some corrupt practices still exist in the local public sector, negatively impacting people’s trust. Notably, the number of people who believe that it is necessary to rely on “relationships” to get a job in a State agency remains high. Nationally, from 56% to 62% of respondents said this “self-centered” situation still exists.
While the perception of effectiveness in controlling corruption has improved, on the contrary, the effectiveness of implementing openness and transparency in local decision-making has tended to decrease, especially in revenue disclosure and transparency. Commune-level budget expenditures when the proportion of respondents nationwide confirming the publicly posted declaration of commune-level budget revenues and expenditures for 2023 has decreased to 39% – the lowest level since 2016.
According to Dr. Dang Hoang Giang, member of the PAPI Research Group, the issue of openness and transparency in local decision-making is very important for preventing corruption in the public sector, because when people have information correctly enough, they can carry out “inspection and supervision” and ask officials and civil servants to explain. Emphasizing this point of view, Dr. Edmund J. Malesky, Associate Professor of the University of Arizona, USA, member of the PAPI Research Group said: “Openness and transparency in local decision-making and control of corruption in the public sector are two important indicators.” most important impact on the general level of satisfaction of the people with the governance effectiveness of governments at all levels”.
Three major concerns
Ms. Ramla Khalidi, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam, said that data from PAPI 2023 provides very rich evidence for policy making. “Based on these data, we hope that all provinces and cities will openly discuss with relevant parties and take specific actions to improve people’s satisfaction with operational efficiency. actions of government apparatus at all levels in 2024 and the following years”.
Notably, the PAPI 2023 survey raised an open question about the most important national and local issues that need to be prioritized by the State in the following year. Accordingly, there are three biggest problems proposed by respondents, including: poverty (accounting for 22,39% of the total number of respondents); employment (accounting for 12,79%) and economic growth (accounting for 9,2%). “Poverty and employment are still the issues people are most concerned about according to the results of the 2023 PAPI survey. That is why, more than ever, it is necessary to ensure that everyone in society benefits from economic development. socio-economic, ensuring no one is left behind”, emphasized Ms. Deirdre Ní Fhallúin, Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland to Vietnam.
| The PAPI index is a tool for people to participate in monitoring the government’s effectiveness in implementing policies at the grassroots level. PAPI measures 8 content indicators: People’s participation at the grassroots level; Openness and transparency in local decision-making; Accountability to the people; Control corruption in the public sector; Public administrative procedures; Providing public services; Environmental management; Electronic governance. |
Dr. Edmund J. Malesky said that compared to 2022, the proportion of people concerned about employment increased the most (up 2,7%), followed by income (up 1,3%). Concerns related to livelihoods have also become more evident since 2017 when analyzing groups of issues people need the State to focus on solving. Last year, people were also worried about the stability of electricity supply for daily life and production and business, with more than 70% of respondents saying their households would occasionally experience grid outages in 2023, an increase nearly 7% compared to 63,5% in 2022, of which people in localities near Hanoi and the Mekong Delta are most affected…
During the past 15 years, up to 197.779 people nationwide have participated in evaluating the effectiveness of governance and public administration from the experience of direct interaction with governments at all levels through the annual PAPI study since 2009. In 2023 alone, 19.536 randomly selected people participated in the PAPI survey. The 15-year journey of formation and development of the PAPI Index has persistently contributed to great, positive, systematic changes in Vietnam’s public administration.
According to the assessment of Associate Professor-Dr. Duong Trung Y, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics: Objective indicators such as PAPI, PCI, or Public Administration Reform Index (PAR Index), on the one hand, are considered an important basis. important to evaluate the effectiveness of public service performance of ministries and local branches; On the other hand, provide important suggestions for Vietnam to continue perfecting the country’s development policy, implementing the National Digital Transformation Strategy, building a people-centered, constructive State, don’t leave anyone behind…
Bank Times
