Influences on the policy process in local government in Vietnam: The case of low-income housing policy in Da Nang City from 2005-2013

There is a growing literature on the policy process at the central level in Vietnam but less attention is paid to exactly how policy gets shaped and implemented at the local level in the specific culture and context of Vietnam and the evolving role of the one-party state. Accordingly, this thesis examines the development of low-income housing policy in Da Nang City from 2005 to 2013 in order to understand the critical influences on the policy process at a local government. It employs qualitative techniques to analyse data collected from interviews and conversations with the participants in the policy process and a collection of published and unpublished documents relating to the process. The findings show that it is possible to apply Hofferbert’s (1974) funnel of causality model with some adjustments, based on insights from other theoretical approaches, to understand influences on the policy process. The significant influences include socio-economic conditions (particularly rapid urban population growth and the impact of urban renewal), which are shaped by some key historical and geographical features, institutional arrangements (especially the relationship between central and local government), and a network of policy actors centred on policy elites. This study contributes to the literature in three ways. Firstly, although space for policy innovation was constrained by the authority of central government, the city government in fact enjoyed significant autonomy in policy implementation and the central–local relationship had room for policy experimentation and learning, which was still an effective way to change policy at both central and local levels. Secondly, local leaders in Vietnam could have a critical role in re-developing and implementing policies. This finding differs from the conventional wisdom that policymaking in Vietnam is collective and consensus-based. In this case, a strong policy leader could impose his will on the whole local state apparatus. Thirdly, the study also shed light on the opportunities for policy learning in the developing relationship between the state and private sectors in Vietnam. Faced with profit-driven private developers, the local government had to experiment with various incentives to ensure their participation in developing low-cost housing. Comparing the policy outcome before and after the private sector’s participation suggests that low-income housing can be developed in partnership with the private sector, given appropriate government policies. The findings of this study offer some implications for people in and outside Vietnam’s party and government systems, who want to influence public policy in Vietnam.