The Dragon's Underbelly

Dynamics and Dilemmas in Vietnam's Economy and Politics

Nhu Truong, Vu Tuong

• Publisher: ISEAS Publishing
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9789815011401
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Economics
• Subtopic: Economic Theory
• Index: Economics

This book shows why Vietnam has not become the dragon it is often touted to be. The team of authors include both long-time observers and junior scholars who present cutting-edge research on the latest trends as well as major challenges facing the country's economy and political system. As Vietnam seeks to escape from poverty and the legacies of mistaken socialist policies, its economy has become fully integrated into the global economy. Yet, without an effective and far-sighted leadership, it is still occupying a low position in the global value chains and becoming increasingly dependent on China. Politically, after three decades of reform, the Vietnamese Communist Party's grip on power has well adapted to the market economy, but is confronting deep vulnerabilities as observed in its eroding ability to control workers, the media, public universities, and state-owned enterprises. The book also includes a section that applies formal and statistical methods to compare Vietnam with China in two critical areas of political accountability and anti-corruption policy.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Contributors
• Introduction: The Peg of Vietnam’s Economic and Political Development
• Part I
• Chapter 1 “Doi Moi” but Not “Doi Mau”: Vietnam’s Red Crony Capitalism in Historical Perspective
• Chapter 2 A Comparative Statistical View of the Vietnamese Economy under Reform since 1985
• Chapter 3 Global Value Chains and Vietnam’s Economic Development: A Path to Perils or Prosperity?
• Chapter 4 Vietnam’s Participation in Global Value Chains: Achievements, Challenges and Policy Implications
• Chapter 5 Vietnam’s Economic Dependence on China: Understanding Vulnerability through a Typology of Trade Shocks
• Part II
• Chapter 6 Who Owns and Leads Vietnam’s Largest Firms? Evolving State-Business Relationships
• Chapter 7 The Vietnamese Communist Party’s Leadership in Public Higher Education
• Chapter 8 Mediatized Infrapolitics and Government Accountability in Vietnam
• Chapter 9 Freedom of and Workers’ Participation in Trade Unions in Vietnam
• Chapter 10 Rising Inequality and Exploitation of Workers in Vietnam: Labour Export and Human Smuggling from Vietnam to Europe
• Part III
• Chapter 11 Why Accountability Differs in Vietnam and China? A Nested Game Explanation
• Chapter 12 The Where and Why of Political Protection in Vietnam’s Anti-Corruption Campaign
• Index