Drawing on fieldwork and analysis by an international team of specialists, this book covers all aspects of contemporary Vietnam including recent history, the political economy, the reform process, education, health, labor market, foreign direct investment and foreign policy.

Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) are the new buzzwords in development aid. Some 70 countries have already elaborated them in response to World Bank and bilateral aid agency requirements. This book presents detailed, field-level research on the application of PRSs in three countries: Tanzania, Vietnam and Honduras It describes the changing relations between the governments of these countries, donor agencies, and civic organizations that have taken part in formulating the new generation of PRSs. Poverty Reduction Strategies run up against a central paradox: in giving decisive policymaking powers to external agencies, the very process of drawing up development strategies to prioritise reducing poverty can gravely undermine the consolidation of democratic forces, structures and ideas in developing countries.

These previously unpublished papers by leading American and Vietnamese economists analyze the dramatic transformation of Vietnam's economy during the 1990s and its prospects for the future. The three main sections of the book discuss Vietnam's turbulent history, recent economic reforms, and the country's emerging role in the world economy and geopolitics. The contributors examine a myriad of issues, including specific reforms in agriculture, banking, and tax policy, as well as the attempts to create a business-oriented legal infrastructure, the development of foreign trade and a viable balance of payments, and U.S. policy reactions to Vietnam's rapid development in the last decade.

From the late 1950s in the north, to the 1970s until the mid-1980s in the south, there was little room or opportunity to form non-state voluntary organizations and associations in Vietnam. With few exceptions, only those established by the Communist Party and other state agencies were permitted.The picture has changed considerably since doi moi. From proactive self-help associations for the disabled to mass, semi-state or "e;non-governmental"e; organizations, the Vietnamese people are getting together to voice their collective and specific interests vis a vis the state. The process of getting together, voicing ideas, acting in concert, and attempting to influence policy in some cases is ongoing and in constant flux. This book presents original case studies of the gamut of organizations in Vietnam today and analyses their relationships with umbrella state organizations which are themselves evolving.Getting Organized in Vietnam also constitutes an enquiry into the term "e;civil society"e; itself. The contributors examine current thinking about the nature of the state in Vietnam in particular. Included here are the first attempts to provide a framework for assessing and categorizing the bewildering array of small organizations in Vietnam: which ones are weakly connected to the state, which ones are independent of the state but perhaps dependent on outside funding agencies.This book is a must for scholars, policymakers, journalists and others interested in understanding political and social change in Vietnam and other transitional economies.