Public Governance

Lecture 1. Course Introduction

- Course introduction

- Course requirements

- Simulation: Creating internal payment scheme for public officials in HCM

Required Readings:

- Daron Acemoglu, What makes a country rich? MIT (2009)

- Tony Bovaird & Elke Löffler, Chapter 1

Resolution Nr. 03/NQ-HDND HCM dated 16/03/2018: Task assignment for 07 groups to develop policy options for creating internal payment scheme for public officials in HCMC.

Lecture 2. The concept of Public Governance

- Public Governance vs. State Management

- The Cores of Public Governance

- Introduction of WGI, PAPI, and Justice Index

Required Readings:

• Tony Bovaird & Elke Löffler, Chapter 13, 15.

Lecture 3. The State and State Building

Dr. Yooil Bea will discuss the rise of modern state and state-building (Western democracies), and briefly discuss how coercion-based states changed (Weber's view) into modern state (Mann's concept, infrastructural power). And then briefly talk about the formation of state institutions (democratic) and the rise of social sector.

- Introduce state-building

- Max Weber and Michael Mann's Concept of State Power

- Formation of State Apparatus: Democratic Institutions.

- The Rise of Social Sector

Required Reading:

• Francis Fukuyama, 2004. The Imperative of State-Building. Journal of Democracy 16(2): 17-31.

Recommend Reading:

- Francis Fukuyama, 2013. Commentary: What is Governance? Governance 26(3): 347-368.

Lecture 4. East Asian State-Building

- Concept of Developmental State

- Japan's State-Building

- Singapore's State-Building

- South Korea's State-Building

- Implication

Required Reading:

• Calder, Kent E. 2017. Singapore: Smart City and Smart State. Washington D.C.: The Brookings Institute, Chapter 2 (How Singapore Became Smart), p.28-61.

Recommended Readings:

- T. J. Pempel. 1999. The Developmental Regime in a Changing World Economy. In Meredith Cumings (ed.) The Developmental State. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, p.137-147 only.

Lecture 5. Government's functions: Relationship between Public Governance and Development

- Good governance

- Measurement of Public Governance Quality

- Relationship between Public Governance and sustainable development

Required Readings:

• Fukuyama (2004), Chapter 1

Lecture 6. Issues of Adaptation of Modern Institutions

- Overview of Institution Importation

- Prerequisites for Successful Transplantation of modern institutions

Required Readings:

• Fukuyama (2004), Chapter 2

Lecture 7. From Meritocracy to Democracy: Confucian Tradition of Public Administration in Vietnam

- The Discussion on Confucian Constitutionalism

- Confucian Heritage of Public Administration

Required Readings:

• Kim Kyong Dong, 2017, Confucianism & Modernization in East Asia: Critical Reflexions, Palgave McMillan pp 1-41 (Chapter 1)
• Mini Case: Refrain to serve at the home town (Hoi-Ty)

Lecture 8. Democracy, Mandate and Functions of People Representative Bodies

- Legitimacy of Government

- Overview of representative democracy

- Legislative power

- Functions of people elected bodies

Required Readings:

• Training Center for Elected Representatives (2010), Representative role: Maintaining the lifeline with voters
• Mini Case: Phan Thi My Thanh

Lecture 9. Central Government Accountability

- Accountability perspectives

- Perspective of effective and efficient government

- Administration, civil servant and bureaucracy

Required Readings:

• Phạm Duy Nghĩa (2014): Accountability

Lecture 10. Local Government Accountability

- Overview of local and regional governments

- Delegation and decentralization

Required Readings:

• ADB (2003), Chapters 4, 5, 8

Mid-term Exam

- 90 Minute Close Book Exam

- 08.30 – 10.00 (Blue Book Requirement)

Lecture 12. Government resources management: Budgeting Process

- Budgeting: policy analysis point of view

- Management of enterprises with state capital

- Public procurement

- PPP: Oversight in Public-Private Partnership Projects

Required Readings:

• Open Budget Survey 2017 https://www.internationalbudget.org/open-budget-survey/results-by-country/country-info/?country=vn

Lecture 13. Policy Toward Public Officials and Civil Servants

- Public officials and civil servants: Overview of right and obligations

- Recruitment, assessment, and training for public officials

Required Readings:

• ADB (2003), Chapters 10-12
• Legal documents: Law on Cadres and public officials, Law on public servants (employment in public utilities providing units).

Lecture 14. Overview of Public Participation

- Concept and overview of public participation

- Vietnam Context: Role of Mass organizations

Required Readings:

• ADB (2003), Chapters 13-14
• Tony Bovaird and Elke Löffler, Ch. 15-16

Lecture 15. Legislative oversight: Role of People Representative Bodies

- Constituency, public elected agency and its monitoring activities

- Effectiveness and legal consequences of public elected agency monitoring

Required Readings:

• British Embassy & MEC (2013), Response level of public agencies to individual and organizational complaints, criticism and proposals, Research report
• Tony Bovaird and Elke Löffler, Ch. 19

Lecture 16. Civil Society: Concept

- Civil society notion

- Measuring civil society in Vietnam

Required Readings:

• ADB (2003), Chapter 15
• TBD
• Case: Dong Tam 2017

Lecture 17. Civil Society: How social network can contribute to public participation

Readings:

• TBD

Lecture 18. Enterprises and Government: The role of business association to policy-making process

Discussion:

• Case Study: Tentatively: Mobifone's takeover of An Vien

Readings:

• David Baron, Business and its Environment, Stanford University (2010), Introduction (Overview)

Lecture 19. Access to Information: Building a Transparent Government

- Demand for Information

- Right to access information of the public

- Government obligation toward information access

Required readings:

• Joseph Stiglitz (2006), Transpacrency in government, in World Bank, The right to tell: the role of mass media in economic development, Culture and Information Publishing House, pp. 33-55
• ADB (2003) Chapter 16
• Law on information access (2016), http://towardstransparency.vn/vi/viet-nam-can-ap-dung-cac-tieu-chuan-quoc-te-de-thuc-su-bao-ve-quyen-tiep-can-thong-tin-cua-nguoi-dan

Lecture 20. Simulation: Workshop on internal payment scheme for public officials in HCM

Drafting internal payment-compensation scheme for public officials in HCM City (chaired by HCM PC Department of Home Affairs). Simulation of a workshop organized and chaired by HCM Department of Home Affairs, with participation of People Council, Ward and District Administration, Media and Mass organizations. A Workshop Proceeding shall be printed and dissimilated in advance.

- HCM Department of Home Affairs: Making Proposal

- HCM Council Committee Budget-Finance: Review

- HCM Ward Level: Review

- HCM District Level: Review

- Mass Organizations: Review

- Public Utilities Authorities: Review

- Research & Media: Review

Group 1: Students present the outline of their individual final essays (8.30-10.00)

- Evaluate policies that help enhance grassroots democracy, public and business participation in local policies, example, supervision of local planning, budgeting, and public investment

Group 2: Students present the outline of their individual final essays

- Evaluate policies that help enhance business sector participation, especially private sector, in central and local government economic policies, lobbying channels, dialogue between business and government.

Group 3: Students present the outline of their individual final essays (10.15-11.45)

- Evaluate policies that help enhance transparent government, right to access to information of people, freedom of the press and monitoring government by civil society; discussion of recent events, role of Facebook and social media.

Group 4: Students present the outline of their individual final essays

- Assess measurement of public governance performance, policy draft and recommendation to the public sector, performance of the public servants, and policies on preventing and fighting against corruption.

Private Final Report due.