Soccer, Glitter and Corruption

Abstract:     
The problem of corruption and efforts to deal with it have been a near constant theme of Vietnam's reform efforts since the early 1990's. The VCP has blanched at serious efforts to curb corruption. Recent scandals that have revealed levels of corruption shocking to even the most cynical observer provide the VCP yet another opportunity to attempt to get a handle on the problem. Rather than confront the issue head on, the strategy appears to rely on a hope that continued economic growth will help the country grow out of the problem. The only evidence to date, however, suggests that increasing economic growth simply leads to larger and larger amounts involved. Should economic growth slow, corruption could become a serious challenge to the regime. Of course, dealing with corruption through additional legislation will not likely be sufficient as the law on the books is often at odds with law in fact.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 19

Keywords: Vietnam, law, legal reform, corruption

JEL Classification: K10, K42

working papers series