Challenges to Vietnam's State Capacity
THREE MAJOR CHALLENGES TO STATE CAPACITY
FACED BY VIETNAM OVER THE LAST DECADE
State-building is an enduring process dating back from the 13th century. Since the emergence of modern states, there has never been a smooth and flat road for states’ development. States, ranging from strong to weak or from rich to poor, all have difficulties in every step of the progress. However, different states with a different history, society and nature will have to face up to different challenges, especially the challenges to state capacity which is a fundamental element of maintaining a state. Vietnam is not an exception. Being a developing country, the challenges to Vietnam’s state capacity are understandably numerous. Among those varied challenges, this essay, based mostly on the study of Vietnam in the last decade, will identify and explicate three most prominent challenges to Vietnam’s state capacity, namely corruption, territorial disputes and participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO). The essay also sheds a light on how these factors challenge state capacity in every respect of life.
Of all the elements that are crucial to maintain and develop a state, state capacity is one of the most important. Stronger states have greater capacity and reversely, greater capacity makes far more powerful states. For a short definition of capacity, it is the ability of the state to do fundamental tasks of providing its citizens with security and bringing together freedom and equality [ (O'Neil, 40) ]. These basic tasks vary from implementation of policies and taxation, to the supply of fundamental needs to every person within the state such as infrastructure, education, entertainment and so on. A state with high capacity is able to guarantee stability and security for both itself and its citizens. On the contrary, a low-capacity state can not do these things efficiently. To this extent, Vietnam is a typical example which is examined carefully in this essay.
Since its
FACED BY VIETNAM OVER THE LAST DECADE
State-building is an enduring process dating back from the 13th century. Since the emergence of modern states, there has never been a smooth and flat road for states’ development. States, ranging from strong to weak or from rich to poor, all have difficulties in every step of the progress. However, different states with a different history, society and nature will have to face up to different challenges, especially the challenges to state capacity which is a fundamental element of maintaining a state. Vietnam is not an exception. Being a developing country, the challenges to Vietnam’s state capacity are understandably numerous. Among those varied challenges, this essay, based mostly on the study of Vietnam in the last decade, will identify and explicate three most prominent challenges to Vietnam’s state capacity, namely corruption, territorial disputes and participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO). The essay also sheds a light on how these factors challenge state capacity in every respect of life.
Of all the elements that are crucial to maintain and develop a state, state capacity is one of the most important. Stronger states have greater capacity and reversely, greater capacity makes far more powerful states. For a short definition of capacity, it is the ability of the state to do fundamental tasks of providing its citizens with security and bringing together freedom and equality [ (O'Neil, 40) ]. These basic tasks vary from implementation of policies and taxation, to the supply of fundamental needs to every person within the state such as infrastructure, education, entertainment and so on. A state with high capacity is able to guarantee stability and security for both itself and its citizens. On the contrary, a low-capacity state can not do these things efficiently. To this extent, Vietnam is a typical example which is examined carefully in this essay.
Since its
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