VietNamNet Bridge – The quality of public services for businesses (to attract investment) is assessed through the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) while the quality of public services for citizens is shown through the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI). This index was made public for the first time in Hanoi on March 31.

High PCI, PAPI is also high?

Kon Tum province in the central highlands, Lai Chau, Lang Son and Yen Bai in the northern mountainous region have the lowest PAPI indexes. Meanwhile, Yen Bai and Kon Tum have quite high PCI indexes and Lang Son and Lai Chau have average PCI indexes.

Of 30 provinces and cites that have PAPI indexes, Dong Nai, Hai Phong, Phu Tho and Hanoi have average levels. These provinces also don’t have high PCI levels.

Though the gap of the positions of provinces and cities in the PCI and PAPI lists is not so wide, it still shows the gap between the quality of PCI and PAPI.

PAPI – not for ranking

The goal of PAPI, according to the survey organizers, is not to rank provinces but to help provinces to know how they serve their citizens and their shortcomings to improve their public services.

Former Deputy Minister of Home Affair Thang Van Phuc, chief consultant of PAPI project, said that this index is for the reference for relevant agencies,.the satisfaction of citizens over quality of public services is assessed through specific operations of public agencies and their awareness and attitude towards administrative works.

Notably, of 30 surveyed provinces, none of them are perfect. They have their own weakness and advantages and they can learn from each others.

UNDP policy advisor Jairo Acuna-Alfaro said that even provinces with high PAPI have specific aspects that citizens are not satisfied with while provinces at the bottom of the PAPI list have good aspects that are highly appreciated by citizens.

The survey results are posted on papi.vn.

Thuy Chung