Improving the Efficiency of Implementation of Social Welfare Policies in Ho Chi Minh City Today

Trang Thi Hoang, MA.

Ly Tu Trong College -Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

ABSTRACT: Currently, the Party and State are always interested in the promulgation and implementation of social welfare policies; consider social welfare as both a goal and a driving force for sustainable development and socio-political stability, demonstrating the good nature of our regime. However, in terms of effectiveness, the implementation of social welfare policies is still inadequate due to objective and subjective reasons. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to develop solutions to promote social welfare policies’ effectiveness. Within the scope of the article, from clarifying the concept of social welfare policies and the role of the system of social welfare policies, the author focuses on proposing some solutions to improve the effectiveness of the implementation of social welfare policies in Ho Chi Minh City today.

KEYWORDS: social welfare, social welfare policy system, Ho Chi Minh City

1. SOME GENERAL THEORETICAL ISSUES ON SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY
   • The concept of social welfare policy

Social welfare is a system of policies and programs implemented by the State and social partners to ensure a minimum level of income, health, social welfare, and capacity building for individuals, households and communities in managing and controlling risks due to job loss, illness, old age, structural transformation, disaster risk, economic crisis, leading to reduced access to basic social services or income loss.

Social welfare policy is a system of guidelines, directions and measures to ensure income and other essential conditions for individuals, families and communities in economic, natural and environmental fluctuations that cause them to be reduced or incapacitated to work, lose their jobs, suffer sickness, disease or death, for the lonely elderly, orphans, the disabled, the victims of war, those affected by natural disasters. This is a system of policies aimed at reducing, preventing and overcoming risks through social insurance, social relief and social assistance activities. The policy objective is to ensure income and other essential living conditions for all members of society (T. L. H. Nguyen & Do, 2014).

The social welfare’s target is all people, including those who have not yet reached working age, are of working age, and have reached the end of working age, including the poor, men, women, children (Luu & Pham, 2009).

• The role of the social welfare policy system

Firstly, the role of social welfare policy for the community and the state.

Social welfare policy is the state’s management tool that expresses the values ​​and orientation of each country’s economic and social development. The state uses it to achieve effective and sustainable economic growth in order to ensure balanced and harmonious development among regions, then create fairness and reduce the disparity between regions to reduce inequality among population groups and ensure everyone’s employment, income, and comprehensive development (T. H. Nguyen, 2016).

In addition, social welfare policy is also one of the basic pillars of the social policy system, protecting basic values, ensuring a minimum standard of living for people, and is a country’s development measure in global integration.

Second, the role of social welfare policy for families and individuals.

The social welfare policy provides the less fortunate people with the necessary conditions to overcome the risks and quickly integrate into the community to accessdevelopment opportunities. Moreover, it also helps families cope with difficult times in life (T. H. Nguyen, 2015).

In order to satisfy their living needs, people have to work to earn income; however, people do not always have jobs and stable incomes. As a basic pillar in the social policy system, the social welfare policy acts as a support to ensure a society and each person with material and spiritual security and social services. The social welfare policy assures basic needs for the poor, vulnerable and at-risk when they face difficulties and challenges and overcome risks in life.

1.3 Factors affecting the implementation of social welfare policy

* Objective factors

Objective factors exist and operate under objective laws, rarely creating erratic changes, so they do not attract managers’ attention. However, their impact is very large on policy implementation, because the mechanism of their interaction with policy issues is formed on the basic laws, including:

– The characteristics of the policy are the factors associated with each policy. The nature of the policy directly influences solving problems by policy, such as policy implementation will be more favorable than complex issues that have beneficial relationships with many subjects if the policy issue is simple or less relevant.

– Policy implementation environment is a factor related to the social, political, economic, cultural, natural environment, security and defense activities; these activities take place under specific conditions; hence, it is separate from policy enforcement. In other words, the policy implementation environment includes all the material and immaterial contents involved in the policy implementation, such as the economic and technical conditions and the interest groups obtained from the policy.

– The relationship between the subjects implementing the policy shows the agreement or not about the interests of the objects. If the interests of these actors do not conflict with each other, the policy is easier to implement. If the interests of the participants in the policy implementation conflict with the interests of the beneficiaries, the policy implementation will be more difficult and sometimes even fail.

– The potential of policy target groups is understood as the capacity and potential concerning other target groups. This potential is expressed in social, economic, and political aspects.

– The characteristics of the policy objectives are the specific contents that the objects have from their inherent nature or created by the living environment through moving. These characteristics are often related to self-discipline, discipline, creativity, determination, and tradition when participating in policy implementation (T. D. Nguyen, 2009).

* Subjective factors

Those are the factors belonging to state agencies that cadres and civil servants actively govern the policy implementation process, including:

– Implement fully and correctly the steps in the policy implementation process. Each step in the process has a certain position and meaning, and the fact that the policy implementation process starts with advocacy.

– Policy implementation capacity of civil servants in state management: This is a subjective factor that plays a decisive role in the results of public policy implementation. This factor is a measure that includes many criteria that reflect on public service ethics, organizational design capacity, and analytical and forecasting capacity to proactively respond to arising situations. The capacity and ethics of civil servants are also reflected in the ability to implement administrative processes and procedures to address the relationship between the state and individuals and organizations related to public policy implementation.

– Material conditions needed for the policy implementation process: This is an important factor to join with people and other factors to successfully implement the state’s policies. To implement the policy in the current market economy in Vietnam, the state should strengthen the material and human resources. In fact, to be able to convey policy contents to participants and beneficiaries on a regular basis, it is necessary to have material and technical conditions for policy propaganda and dissemination.

– Citizen support: Whether a policy succeeds or fails, there is a particularly important contribution of this factor. This is a very important factor because the implementation of policy goals cannot be done only by state agencies but must involve the participation of all classes of people in society. Citizens are not only those who directly participate in realizing policy goals but also are direct beneficiaries.

2. SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY IN HO CHI MINH CITY TODAY

2.1 General solutions

2.1.1 Complete documents, programs and plans to implement the system of social welfare policies in a synchronous and effective manner

For a policy to work well, policymakers need to have many compatible and suitable solutions for the environment in which it exists. Moreover, social welfare policy is more difficult because it is dominated by many interest groups, different environments and audiences. Therefore, the first solution to improve the effectiveness of social welfare policy implementation starts with developing unified, synchronous and effective policies (Bui, 2009).

The social welfare policy must be concretized with programs, actions, and implementation plans; it is necessary to prepare resources for implementing the policy and to mobilize all possible resources, such as human and financial, to localities, businesses and sponsors. Policymakers should use all resources in society to reduce costs from the state budget while improving the responsibility of the community and society. The point to note here is that the mobilized funds need to be used for the right purposes and effectively.

In the implementation process, the implementation must be organized reasonably and scientifically, with a clear and specific assignment of tasks. This really helps, it helps to avoid work jams and irresponsibility. In the process of assigning, it is necessary to pay attention to the capacity and expertise of each officer and individual, thereby minimizing overlapped tasks and unclear responsibilities. At the same time, there should be regular inspection and close supervision from all stages in order to detect, prevent and handle violations in the management mechanism. On that basis, policymakers could recommend competent agencies to take timely remedial measures, thereby promoting positive factors contributing to improving the quality of state management.

2.1.2. Promote the propaganda of organizations and individuals in the social welfare system expansion

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam, a locality with the majority of immigrants from all parts of the country living and setting up a business. Therefore, this is also the place where a large number of objects of the social welfare policy system are concentrated. If only relying on the state budget, it will not be possible to achieve the set goals, but some of the following solutions should be considered.

It is necessary to actively renew and improve the effectiveness of propaganda and gathering of all classes of people to consolidate and promote the strength of solidarity of the whole people.

Local civil servants are responsible for organizing communication on social welfare policies to the people through many different channels. Radio and television stations must be given priority regarding broadcast time and duration on social welfare policy. In print and electronic newspapers, priority must be given to the location to publish policy content so that people can accurately access state policies. Policy’s contents must be concise, concise and presented straight to the point. Policy propaganda should be carried out regularly and continuously through the mass media.

The main objects of social welfare policy propaganda are the poor, the disabled and ethnic minorities who often have little time and conditions to interact with the mass media. The survey shows that the most effective and closest way of propaganda is through the neighborhood groups, the solidarity groups in the residential areas.

2.1.3. Assign, coordinate, maintain and adjust policies in a synchronous and timely manner

To implement a social welfare policy with high efficiency, it is indispensable for proper coordination and assignment to complete tasks well. When organizing policy implementation, it is necessary to assign specific tasks between the Government and socio-political organizations, in which specific responsibilities are determined according to the authority and roles of the parties. As a result, the coordination activities to implement the welfare policy among the parties take place proactively according to the planned process to improve the practical effectiveness of the policy.

In order to maintain the policy, it requires a synchronous combination of many factors, such as the organizers of the policy implementation (the Government) must create favorable conditions and environment, and the policy enforcers must voluntarily sense of responsibility to actively participate in policy implementation. Policy adjustments are necessary and often performed in implementing the policy, but the adjustment must ensure the initial goal, only adjusting the measures and implementation mechanism.

2.1.4. Inspect and supervise the implementation of regulations on social welfare policies in an open and transparent manner

The total expenditure on social welfare policies in Ho Chi Minh City is very large because of the large number of policy beneficiaries in the large area. Therefore, to ensure the correct and adequate implementation of expenditures, the city government must regularly implement inspection, supervision and audit to correct shortcomings and, simultaneously, handle cases of wrong expenditure. First, professional training and skills related to inspection and supervision should be focused on. In particular, it is necessary to support the public servants who work directly with the beneficiaries to promptly grasp information, detect problems and make appropriate proposals.

Currently, this issue is not concerned with the level of wards/communes/towns directly under the city. Practice shows that the policy implementation guidelines only focus on the formal inspection and supervision process without going into the actual content and skills, as well as the system of criteria for monitoring has not been specifically disseminated.

2.2. Some specific solutions

2.2.1. For social protection policy

– Further, promulgate documents on the implementation of social protection activities under local realities. In particular, focusing on building long-term programs and plans, annually concretizing the plan’s content into the city’s socio-economic development program to well implement social protection work in the city’s social security system. Review, amend, supplement and complete existing mechanisms and policies based on inheritance and development toward an ever-expanding direction. Studying policies to support the poor in a multi-dimensional way, raising the standard of social allowance in line with the actual situation. Since then, perfecting social protection policies to create an administrative and social legal environment for social protection beneficiaries to access basic and integrated social services. Develop joint documents to coordinate between departments in providing information about subjects to review, supplement, change and terminate the social protection in order to limit the overlap and delay.

– Strengthening propaganda and education on social protection activities: Focusing on disseminating and fully grasping the guidelines and policies of the Party and State on social protection activities to all levels of Party committees, Government and society as a whole to raise awareness and action. Promote information dissemination on visual mass media, billboards, posters, leaflets, conferences and seminars. Support organization to advise, consult and connect customers to access support services, including domestic and non-public facilities.

– Consolidate the organization for social security work and strengthen the inter-sectoral coordination mechanism in social security work. Strengthen the leadership of Party committees and authorities at all levels, the coordination of branches, mass organizations, and socio-political organizations in the implementation of social welfare policies. Functional sectors need to integrate social security implementation objectives into target programs managed and staffed by the sector, a necessary condition for systematic implementation to achieve good results. Localities must take the initiative in leading, directing and operating the implementation, actively directing and administering the development of specific programs and plans on social security, and taking the initiative in allocating resources and regulating social security. Act, and solve problems that arise.

Coordinate with departments, branches and mass organizations to plan training and retraining of sectoral officials, especially policies on reward and encouragement in each neighborhood when there are poor households. Organize research activities, ensure a smooth information system from the grassroots, and have a qualified team to make effective and reasonable advice and proposals.

– Expand the beneficiaries based on the local budget. It is necessary to ensure funding sources for beneficiaries of social insurance. However, the level of subsidy for beneficiaries is still low compared to the social level in the area, not meeting the minimum consumption needs of the beneficiaries, so in the coming years, the middle of the state budget balance may increase more. Subsidy levels and expanding some groups of beneficiaries compared to Decree No. 136/2013/ND-CP for people with difficult circumstances.

2.2.2. For poverty reduction policy

– Consolidate and strengthen the Steering Committee for poverty reduction support at commune/ward/township levels throughout the city. At the same time, assigning members of the Steering Committee to be in charge of communes, wards and street blocks, promoting their roles and responsibilities in guiding the implementation and implementation of poverty reduction goals.

– Localities develop plans with specific poverty reduction solutions, focusing on supporting the poor in developing products and increasing income by raising awareness, changing people’s ways of doing business as well as providing legal support along with vocational training and vocational training for poor households to become self-reliant.

– Fully implement preferential policies for poor households and the poor such as vocational training support combined with job creation, helping to access preferential credit sources for household economic development and gradually raising the loan limit.

– To encourage enterprises to provide vocational training, create stable jobs for the poor, and specifically implement well support policies on credit, an extension of agriculture, forestry and fishery, health insurance, and vocational training for new households. Integrating programs and projects to expand and promote vocational training, improve knowledge and skills for the poor to create jobs on the spot, participate in labor inside and outside the province, and go to work term abroad.

– Fully and timely implement social policies, promote charity and humanitarian activities to support the disadvantaged and poor in society, creating favorable conditions for them to self-reliance and rise out of poverty.

– Propaganda to raise awareness of the importance and significance of the welfare program; replicating good, creative and effective models and practices in poverty reduction and raising the sense of self-reliance for poor households and the poor. Mobilize the community to join hands and contribute to the community’s responsibility for poverty reduction.

– Strengthening inspection activities, monitoring and evaluating performance results associated with records, summarizing lessons learned; capacity building training for staff working on poverty reduction. To organize the investigation, review and assess the current situation of poor households to ensure accuracy, objectivity and science; not chasing after achievements affects the quality of sustainable poverty reduction.

2.2.3. Regarding housing policy for people with revolutionary merits

In order to support the right target group, the steering committee should assign members in charge by a cluster of communes/wards/towns to appraise the list of households before construction. The city provides models of houses for families to choose from according to their economic conditions. During the construction process, members of the steering committee must regularly guide, urge and supervise the implementation of the families, ensuring the schedule and area according to regulations.

The People’s Committees of communes/wards/towns need to assign cadastral and construction staff to promptly remove obstacles for households when building houses. At the same time, in the organization of acceptance tests and payment to households right after completion.

In order to improve the effectiveness of supporting policy beneficiaries in housing in the coming time, it is necessary to further promote propaganda on the purpose and meaning of the above activity and organize more gratitude activities. Strengthen the inspection of policy implementation for people with meritorious services; at the same time, actively propagate and mobilize socio-political organizations and businesses to support and help people with meritorious services and policy families to have a stable life in spacious and clean houses.

3. SOME RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1. For the central Government

– Social security work is a regular job, so the Government needs to establish an adequate operating mechanism and policy in each social security policy implemented for assigned cadres and civil servants. Especially for civil servants who work directly at the commune/ward/township level because this is the grassroots level and an indispensable link in the organization and implementation of monitoring programs and projects across the country from the central Government to the commune and village levels, villages, and residential groups.

3.2. For local governments

– Province/city level

Local agencies need to work together to develop an overall, synchronous, but also very detailed strategy suitable to the specific characteristics of each locality. And it is necessary to carefully consider the integration of activities between relevant social welfare policies with the implementation plan of the local 5-year and annual plans. That accelerates the implementation of policy objectives while saving costs and ensuring the reality of programs and objectives set out in policies as well as projects.

There should be closer and more synchronous coordination between all levels, sectors, associations and mass organizations (including armed forces units and businesses) in the implementation of social welfare policies at each locality.

To further improve the performance of civil servants when implementing social welfare policies in the area in particular and implementing the guidelines of the Party and the state’s policies in general. When deploying, it is necessary to find and assign tasks to knowledgeable, professional and highly responsible civil servants who always consider the people’s work as their own.

– District level

More attention should be paid to human resource creation because civil servants cannot cope with several areas that are too large in the process of actual penetration to implement policy at the grassroots.

Implement effective integration of economic development projects in each sector to integrate social security policy implementation programs such as poverty reduction, sedentary settlement, clean water, etc., to improve the effectiveness of policies over time.

Actively promote local capital and local resources to ensure the implementation of policies rather than relying on the central Government, provinces as well as other organizations.

There is a form of timely praise and reward to those who perform well and ensure the goals and progress of the social security policy.

– Commune level

It is necessary to strengthen propaganda and mobilization to the people through activities such as reporting, articles reflecting good people, good deeds, effective models, etc., on the mass media for people to understand and study.

Create a close environment to promptly capture the thoughts, aspirations, and needs of the people, the beneficiaries directly and are affected by the social welfare policies implemented in the locality to take proactive measures.

Strengthen and promote the implementation of inspection and supervision of social welfare policies in the locality.

– For local organizations

To further promote the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and mass organizations to participate in a propaganda so that people understand and actively participate in social security programs and policies implemented in the locality. Mass organizations need to pay special attention to their role in communicating with reality, ensuring that all people are aware of and put into practice, and enlist the people’s response and consent in practice to implement social welfare policies to promote and soon complete the set goals.

CONCLUSION

For the sustainable development of a country, the system of social welfare policies holds a particularly important position, both as a goal and as a driving force to promote the development of many other resources. Ho Chi Minh City is the locality with the most dynamic development level in Vietnam. The implementation of the social security policy here has achieved many important achievements marking the strong development of the city in the current period.

Overall, despite great efforts, promulgating many correct social welfare policies to promote local socio-economic development, improve people’s living standards, build a healthy environment, and always achieve high and stable economic growth, the regimes and policies of social protection beneficiaries, poor, near-poor households, people with revolutionary merits, etc., are resolved promptly. But social security work in Ho Chi Minh City still reveals certain limitations. This is a huge challenge that the Party Committee and the Government of Ho Chi Minh City have been trying to solve. The synchronous implementation of the solutions mentioned above will contribute to realizing the goals set by the Party Committee and the city government and improve the effectiveness of the implementation of the social welfare policy in the city in the current period.

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