Relegation, loss of points
On April 2, 2024, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced the 2023 Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI).
Accordingly, Quang Nam only achieved 40,596 points, ranking 48th out of 61 provinces and cities (Binh Duong and Quang Ninh do not have this data). Compared to PAPI in 2022, this index decreased by 1.64 points, falling 17 places, belonging to the group of 16 provinces and cities with low average scores.
According to the analysis, Quang Nam has 3/8 component indexes increasing in score (people's participation at the grassroots level (0.02 points), corruption control in the public sector (0.05 points) and environmental governance (0.09 points), 5/8 indexes decreasing in score (transparency (0.63 points), accountability to people (0.51 points), public administrative procedures (0.22 points), public service provision (0.36 points) and e-governance (0.09 points).
In terms of scores, only the public service provision index is in the group of indexes with high average scores (7.6957 points). The grassroots people's participation index and environmental governance are in the group with low average scores (4.803 and 3.309 points).
The remaining five indices (transparency (4.5627 points), accountability to citizens (3.8587 points), control of corruption in the public sector (6.5458 points), public administrative procedures (6.901 points) and e-governance (2.9199 points) are in the lowest index group.
PAPI data shows that after 15 years of participating in the "race" to rank the effectiveness of governance and public administration, Quang Nam's competitive map always follows a sine wave graph, with irregular ups and downs.
Statistics for the past 8 years (2016 - 2023) show that local PAPI has always been low. From 30th place in 2016 to 27th place in 2017, it fell to 44th place in 2018.
"Orders" from the government such as including the implementation of the task of improving the PAPI index into the annual assessment and ranking of administrative reforms of departments, branches, and localities or appropriately integrating the inspection of the implementation of the content of improving this index into the content of administrative reform inspection... have helped Quang Nam continuously rise in rank within 2 years (in 2019, it rose 22 ranks, ranked 22nd and in 2020, it rose 1 rank, ranked 21st).
Surprisingly, in 2021, PAPI Quang Nam dropped 14 places, ranked 35th out of 63 provinces and cities, rose 4 places in 2022 (ranked 31st out of 63 provinces and cities) and plummeted after the 2023 survey when it dropped 17 places, ranked 48th.
Even the scores fluctuate abnormally. The scores for the years (2018 - 2023) are: 43.14 points (down 1.09 points), 44.33 points (up 1.19 points), 43.28 points (down 1.05 points), 42.1 points (down 1.18 points), 42.24 points (up 0.14 points) and 40.596 points (down 1.64 points).
The PAPI plan to be in the top 20 provinces nationwide from 2021 or strive to have a higher score in 2023 than in 2022 could not be realized.
Awareness for reform
Public policy analyst (UNDP) Do Thanh Huyen said, PAPI is like a mirror for localities to reflect on their management efficiency.
The government should not care too much about rankings. It only needs to pay attention to the reform changes over the years of public agencies that properly implement directives, resolutions, and consistent commitments on "people know, people discuss, people inspect". Find innovative solutions and improve local governance and public administration.
However, the announced results of PAPI scores and rankings of Quang Nam are only among the provinces and cities with low scores, with very few component indices having high average scores, which are "telling" statistics.
This reflects the reality of reform efforts, under the supervision and measurement of people's experience in the administration, policy implementation, and provision of public services by the government and management agencies, there are still many bottlenecks that cannot be resolved. The five important indicators in the lowest group show that people's suggestions and recommendations have not been received or resolved properly.
The decline of PAPI 2023 is really a big surprise. The Department of Home Affairs of Quang Nam has actively advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a plan to improve and enhance PAPI, develop a propaganda handbook to send to cadres, civil servants, and public employees, and open 16 training courses (516 cadres and civil servants attended).
Regularly and suddenly conduct inspections on compliance with discipline, administrative discipline, office culture, and public ethics at agencies and units. Improve the quality of administrative procedure settlement, and abolish regulations that are not in accordance with the law.
Electronic portals/websites increase the use of public services and online payments. Inspect and resolve complaints and denunciations, strengthen measures to prevent and combat corruption, and control corruption in the provision of public services. Expand communication and share PAPI data to the people and local authorities...
This information shows that there is no shortage of resolutions, decisions, plans, and projects, but the more reformed, the more “backward”. Why have reform efforts to satisfy the people, aiming to build a transparent and effective administration… not been able to take effect?
Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Quang Buu said he was quite surprised, surprised and worried about the decline of PAPI. The local administrative reform plan is being evaluated quite positively.
The total score did not decrease much, but the ranking dropped sharply. That shows that in this "race", localities reformed more strongly and faster.
The public service system serving the people with the spirit of dynamism and creativity at all levels has not been able to meet the needs and has not brought satisfaction to the people. PAPI is related to many issues.
The government and management agencies will evaluate, analyze, measure specifically, and identify more clearly the loss of points, downgrades, or increases or decreases in component indexes of PAPI 2023 to come up with more effective and practical reform solutions.
The government is open-minded and ready to receive everyone's suggestions, promptly recognize shortcomings, correct mistakes to best serve and gain people's satisfaction.
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