The control and balance of powers within Japanese local government and experience for Vietnam

Abstract

Despite a lot of efforts in public administrative reforms and pilot programs, Vietnam is still struggling to find out an appropriate model of local government. In practice, the structure and power control mechanism in the local government system of Vietnam has shown many shortcomings, weakening the management effectiveness and undermining the practice of democracy. Meanwhile, Japan, the same Asian unitary country that shares the common socio-political culture with Vietnam, has successfully established a strong and effective system of local government. In particular, its mechanism of power control and balance between the representative agency and the head of local administration implies certain values for Vietnam. This paper analyzes the mechanism of power control and balance in the Japanese local government system; makes comparisons with Vietnamese local government; and thereby suggests some recommendations for reforming the comparable system in Vietnam.