Development, Poverty and Inequality in Vietnam : A model for pro-poor growth in South-East Asia?

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2008 im Fachbereich Politik - Internationale Politik - Region: Sdasien, Note: keine, Westflische Wilhelms-Universitt Mnster (Institut fr Politikwissenschaft), Veranstaltung: Democratic Peace Theory, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: The Bertelsmann Foundation states that Vietnam, much like China, shows the tendency of delinking economic development from the transformation towards more democracy. They stress the fact that the responsible elites avoid "political openness" while aiming at swift transformation towards a market economy. Furthermore, they claim that these developments are "symptomatic" for the region and that their economic success makes this style of polity and politics attractive to others (Bertelsmann Foundation 2008). This typical euro-centrist view of the Asian developing economies has the idea of input-legitimacy at its center. However, the legitimacy of politics and policies in low-income countries is much more dependent on their outcomes in terms of inclusive growth and poverty alleviation. The leading question is therefore: Is Vietnam able to significantly improve the income and consequently, the well-being of the majority of its population, and can its development be a model for the region? This paper explores Vietnam's record of development, poverty reduction and inequality in comparison to its neighbor states. The following part will examine key policies and underlying reforms that were conductive to pro-poor growth in Vietnam as well as remaining challenges.