Politics in Contemporary Vietnam : Party, State, and Authority Relations

Vietnam's political development has entered an extraordinary, if indeterminate, phase. Comprising contributions from leading Vietnam scholars, this volume comprehensively explores the core aspects of Vietnam's politics, providing a cutting-edge analysis of politics in one of East Asia's least understood countries. "Vietnam's political development has entered an extraordinary, if indeterminate, phase. Politics in Vietnam, long a predictable and dour affair, is today characterized by a sense of uncertainty and possibility that has no precedent in the country's post-war history. Comprising contributions from leading Vietnam scholars, this volume comprehensively explores the core aspects of Vietnam's politics, providing fresh perspectives on one of East Asia's least understood countries. The collection focuses on a variety of themes including the development and decay of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the evolution of relations between central and local authorities in the context of economic globalization, the functions of formal representative institutions, the activities of political dissidents, the growth of incipient forms of secondary association and civil society, and state repression. Unlike much of the scholarship on Vietnam, the contributions in this volume consider Vietnam in light of broader debates concerning politics in Asia"--Page [4] of cover Vietnam's political development has entered an extraordinary, if indeterminate, phase. Politics in Vietnam, long a predictable and dour affair, are today characterized by a sense of uncertainty and possibility that has no precedent in the country's post-war history. Comprising contributions from leading Vietnam scholars, this volume comprehensively explores the core aspects of Vietnam's politics, providing fresh perspectives on one of East Asia's least understood countries. The collection focuses on a variety of themes including the development and decay of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the evolution of relations between central and local authorities in the context of economic globalization, the functions of representative institutions, the activities of political dissidents, the growth of incipient forms of secondary association and civil society, and state repression. Unlike much of the scholarship on Vietnam, the contributions in this volume consider Vietnam in light of broader debates concerning politics in Asia (site de l'éditeur) Cover 1 Series 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 7 List of Illustrations 8 Acknowledgments 9 Notes on Contributors 10 1 Politics in Contemporary Vietnam 13 2 Persistence Amid Decay: The Communist Party of Vietnam 83 33 3 Authoritarianism Reconfigured: Evolving Accountability Relations within Vietnam’s One-Party Rule 54 4 State versus State: The Principal-Agent Problem in Vietnam’s Decentralizing Economic Reforms 76 5 Understanding the Confidence Vote in Vietnamese National Assembly: An Update on “Adverse Effects of Sunshine” 96 6 Government Repression and Toleration of Dissidents in Contemporary Vietnam 112 7 The Apparatus of Authoritarian Rule in Vietnam 147 8 The Political Influence of Civil Society in Vietnam 174 9 Toward a New Politics? 196 References 208 Untitled 233 Front Matter....Pages i-xii Politics in Contemporary Vietnam....Pages 1-20 Persistence Amid Decay: The Communist Party of Vietnam at 83....Pages 21-41 Authoritarianism Reconfigured: Evolving Accountability Relations within Vietnam’s One-Party Rule....Pages 42-63 State versus State: The Principal-Agent Problem in Vietnam’s Decentralizing Economic Reforms....Pages 64-83 Understanding the Confidence Vote in Vietnamese National Assembly: An Update on “Adverse Effects of Sunshine”....Pages 84-99 Government Repression and Toleration of Dissidents in Contemporary Vietnam....Pages 100-134 The Apparatus of Authoritarian Rule in Vietnam....Pages 135-161 The Political Influence of Civil Society in Vietnam....Pages 162-183 Toward a New Politics?....Pages 184-195 Back Matter....Pages 196-229