Viet Nam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index

The Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) is a flagship governance program initiated by the United Nations Development Programs in Vietnam since 2009. PAPI measures and benchmarks citizens’ experiences and perception on the performance and quality of policy implementation and services delivery of all 63 provincial governments in Vietnam to advocate for effective and responsive governance. Based on citizen input, PAPI provides a set of objective indicators that help assess the performance in governance and public administration, while at the same time providing an incentive for provinces to improve their performance over the long term.

Viet Nam Provincial Competitiveness Index

Introduced in 2005, the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) on Vietnam’s business environment conducts an annual business survey, assessment and ranking of the economic governance quality of provincial authorities in creating a favorable business environment for development of the private sector. What Does the PCI Measure? The overall PCI comprises ten sub-indices, reflecting economic governance areas that affect private sector development. A province that is considered to perform well on the PCI is the one that has: 1) low entry costs for business start-up; 2) easy access to land and security of business premises; 3) a transparent business environment and equitable business information; 4) minimal informal charges; 5) has limited time requirements for bureaucratic procedures and inspections; 6) limit crowding out of private activity from policy biases toward state, foreign, or connected firms; 7) proactive and creative provincial leadership in solving problems for enterprises; 8) developed and high-quality business support services; 9) sound labor training policies; and 10) fair and effective legal procedures for dispute resolution.

The Myanmar Business Environment Index

Despite recent economic growth in Myanmar, the local business environment throughout much of the country remains poorly understood. Outdated administrative systems, vested local interests, and five decades of military rule have led to a complex patchwork of institutions governing commercial activity. A range of actors are responsible for local economic governance (LEG) in Myanmar, including national ministries, state/region offices and township offices. However, few attempts have been made to map the impact of LEG on Myanmar’s evolving business environment. The Asia Foundation (TAF) and the DaNa Facility therefore launched the three-year Department for International Development (DFID)-funded Myanmar Business Environment Index (MBEI) initiative. The MBEI aims to assess constraints affecting Myanmar’s business environment at the subnational level and identify opportunities for reform, in partnership with the Development Lab at Duke University.