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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS NATIONAL ACADEMY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION NGUYEN THI THU CUC THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF THE COMMUNE GOVERNMENT WITH PARTICIPATION OF THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY IN NAM DINH PROVINCE Specialization: Public Management Code: 34 04 03 SUMMARY OF THE DOCTORAL DISSERTATION HANOI, 2019 The research work was accomplished at National Academy of Public Administration Supervisors: Assoc.Prof.Dr Hoang Van Chuc Assoc.Prof.Dr Nguyen Minh Phuong Reviewer 1: Reviewer 2: Reviewer 3: The dissertation is defended before the Doctoral Assessment Council at the institutional level Venue: Room for Doctoral Defense ……, National Academy of Public Administration Address: 77 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Dong Da District, Hanoi Time: At ………… date ………………………………………… The dissertation can be found at: - National Library of VietNam - Library of the National Academy of Public Administration INTRODUCTION Necessity of the research Commune government is a grassroots government in the rural areas, playing an important role in realization of the Party’s guidelines and public policies Given 65% of Vietnam’s population living in the rural areas, the commune government plays an important role The commune government makes decisions to solve the local problems and promotes local socioeconomic development To make commune government 's decisions to reach public consensus and reflect the residential community’s aspirations, the residential community's participation is needed Vietnam has focused on promoting public participation in governance over the last years However, there are weaknesses in implementing the legal regulations on the decisionmaking of the commune government with participation of the residential community Nam Dinh is a northern delta province with a long tradition of selfgovernance in villages The commune governments in Nam Dinh have promoted the public participation in local governance However, there is still a lack of the residential community’s participation in the decision-making process of the commune government Therefore, the decision implementation is not supported by the residential community, which results in waste of resources It is necessary to study the decision-making process of the commune government commune government with the residential community’s participation in Nam Dinh province to find out lessons for Nam Dinh to improve the commune government’s decision-making process with the residential community’s participation to promote grassroots democracy and improve efficient and effective state management Nam Dinh’s lessons can be a reference for other localities with similar development conditions and levels Based on the theoretical, practical rationales, the author has chosen the research: “The decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province” as a doctoral dissertation Research objectives and tasks 2.1 Research objectives The research objectives of the doctoral dissertation is to assess the current situation and propose solutions for refining the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province, contributing to effective and efficient state management in Nam Dinh province 2.2 Research tasks Firstly, studying the scientific basis of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community Secondly, analyzing the decision-making model of the commune government in Nam Dinh province Thirdly, analyzing and assessing the current situation of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Fourthly, analyzing the determinants of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Fifthly, proposing solutions for refining the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Research object and scope 3.1 Research object The decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province 3.2 Research scope - Research content scope: The decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in accordance with the current legal regulations: specifically, those decisions under jurisdiction of the commune government (consisting of the commune People's Council and the commune People's Committee) and the chairperson of the commune People's Committee with participation of the residential community in accordance with the law - Research space scope: Communes in Nam Dinh province - Research time scope: The decision-making process of the commune government since 2007 (since promulgation of the Ordinance on Implementing democracy in communes, wards, townships) Methodologies and research methods 4.1 Methodologies The doctoral dissertation applies the methodologies of the dialectical and historical materialism of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts on the people’s mastership 4.2 Research methods - Literature review; - Quantitative methods – descriptive statistics: the sample size of 429 people (including 82 commune government leaders of 53 communes, 347 people) - Qualitative methods; expert method Research questions and hypothesis - Research questions i.) What is the scientific basis of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community? ii.) What is the actual situation of the decision-making process of the commune government in Nam Dinh province? What are determinants of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province? What are the barriers that restrict participation of the residential community in the decision-making process of the commune government in Nam Dinh province? iii.) How to refine the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community? - Research hypotheses (1) The decision-making of the commune government concerning the issues related to the residential community should involve the residential community in order to make decisions legal, reasonable, feasible, and get consensus (2) The decision-making process of the commune government in Nam Dinh province lacks active and effective participation of the residential community The inadequate capacity of the commune government officials and the residential community restricts participation of the residential community in the decision-making process of the commune government Institutionalized participation of the residential community and enhanced capacity of the commune government officials and residential community promote participation of the residential community in the decision-making process of the commune government (3) A unified procedure of the decision-making with participation of the residential community and a toolkit for promoting participation, enhancing capacity of the commune officials and residential communities will refine the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community, improving the decision-making of the commune government and promoting grassroots democracy in Nam Dinh province Scientific significance of the dissertation - Theoretical contributions: Firstly, an overview of the research works on the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community; identification of the decision-making model of the commune government; and the lessons of the lessons of the decisionmaking process of the commune government Secondly, clarification of the scientific basis of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community Thirdly, an analysis of the determinants and the conditions of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community - Practical contributions: Firstly, the dissertation describes the system of the institutions and apparatus related to the decision-making of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Vietnam Secondly, the dissertation analyzes the current situation of the decisionmaking process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Thirdly, the dissertation analyzes the determinants of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Fourthly, the dissertation provides comments and lessons about the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Fifthly, the dissertation proposes solutions for refining the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Dissertation structure - Chapter 1: Literature review of research works related to the dissertation - Chapter 2: The scientific basis of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community - Chapter 3: The actual situation of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province - Chapter 4: Viewpoints and solutions for refining the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW OF RESEARCH WORKS RELATED TO THE DISSERATION 1.1 International and domestic research works related to the dissertation Research works related to the dissertation are categorized into the following groups: - International and domestic works related to the decision-making process - International and domestic works related to the decision-making process of the commune government (CG) with participation of RC (RC) 1.2 Contributions of the research works - Regarding the decision-making process: The studies have provided definitions of decision-making, decision-making processes, characteristics of the decision-making processes; introduced organizational decision-making models, and the factors influencing the selection of the decision-making model in an organization - Regarding the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community: Researchers have come up with different interpretations and definitions of citizen participation, civic participation, community participation, the role of participation, the model of levels of participation, and factors affecting participation Due to the difference in the division of administrative units between countries, many countries not have an administrative unit called a commune but have an entity and administrative level with the same functions and tasks as CG in Vietnam The works have initially mentioned the decision-making process of CG with participation of RC; conditions and types of participation, factors affecting community participation Some works show practical experience in the decision-making process of CG in some countries 1.3 Issues to be further studied - Regarding the decision-making process: The dissertation focuses on in-depth study of the decision-making process, finds out the decision-making model of CG, analyzes in-depth the characteristics of the decision-making process of CG - Regarding the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community: The dissertation focuses on building a system of the scientific bases of the decision-making process of CG with participation of RC: development of the key concepts related to the decision-making process of CG with participation of RC; bases of community participation in the decision-making process of CG; phases of the participatory decision-making process with participation levels, types and levels of participation; analysis of determinants of the decision-making process of CG with participation of RC The dissertation studies the current situation of the decision-making process of CG with participation of RC in Nam Dinh province and proposes a system of solutions to improve the decision-making process of CG with participation of RC and the quality of decision-making, and to promote active participation of RC in the decision-making process of CG The theoretical and practical research on the decision-making process of CG with participation of RC in Nam Dinh province and the research on application of this approach in public management in Vietnam is very necessary Chapter THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF THE COMMUNE GOVERNMENT WITH PARTICIPATION OF THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY 2.1 Characteristics, classifications and models of the decision-making process 2.1.1 Concept The decision-making process is a series of successive steps, including problem identification, goal setting, alternative formulation, alternative selection, drafting and issuance of decision The steps in decision-making take place in sequence; the decision-making is a procedure - the decisionmaking procedure 2.1.2 Characteristics of decision-making process The decision-making process is characterized by: multiple options; goal oriented; multi-criteria 2.1.3 Classification of the decision-making process The organizational decision-making process is categorized into programed (routine) decision-making and non-programed (situational) decision-making processes 2.1.4 Decision-making process models - Models: From a public management perspective, there are two approaches in the decision-making process: a management approach, a political approach Accordingly, there are models such as rational model, incremental model, mix scanned model, organizational process model, political model, and garbage can model - Factors affecting selection of a decision-making process model: Context, external pressure, complexity of the problem, organizational design and environment, resources, information, time pressure, number of actors involved, individual decision makers are factors affecting the selection of a decision-making process model 2.2 The decision-making of the commune government 2.2.1 Concept The decision-making of CG is a process of stages in which CG identifies a problem or situation to be addressed, sets a goal to be achieved, develops alternatives, selects alternatives, and issues a decision to solve problems or situations for social stability and development in the commune 2.2.2 Position and role of the commune government - Alternative formulation: According to the modern organizational theory model, only two or three alternatives are considered due to bounded rationality and other limitations of the organization In order to improve the quality of alternatives or draft decisions, the involvement of the community and other stakeholders is required It is a must to ensure the accessibility of the community to the alternatives, create equal opportunities for community members to speak their voices The community must be engaged with CG to develop alternatives Instead of being the target of the decision, the community transforms into a co-designer of the decision, proactively building its own alternative in addition to the alternatives of CG - Alternative selection: Alternative selection is the key moment in the decision-making process In order to choose the best and the most optimal alternative, review the alternatives first and then evaluate them In the decision-making process, due to limited resources and capacity,, CG chooses the key alternative based on the empirical approach In case there is no acceptable alternative, the alternatives should be adjusted or a new alternative should be developed This is the challenge for CG, especially in the context of social pressure and pressure to perform political tasks assigned CG must win the support of the community for the selected alternative to avoid being opposed in implementing the decision The community should access to all existing alternatives of CG and have the right to be consulted before CG makes a final selection of alternatives, collaborating with the government to determine the most appropriate alternative When the community decides its own solution, the community involvement is really meaningful - Issuing decisions: CG translates the choice into action to issue a decision on future action The decision issued by CG must comply with the legal provisions on the issuance of legal normative documents and administrative documents, the content and format of the decision, and the 11 type of publicizing In this stage of decision issuance, the community participation level is information 2.3.4 The system of institutions and apparatus related the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community - The system of legal normative documents related to the decisionmaking process of CG with participation of RC: the Constitution of 1946, 1980, 1992 and 2013; resolutions and directives of the Central Party Committee; resolutions, laws and ordinances of the National Assembly; joint resolutions; government decrees; decisions by the Prime Minister; circulars of the ministries have provided regulations relating to the decision-making process of CG with participation of the residential community, creating a legal framework for the decision-making process of CG with participation of the residential community - The system of apparatus related to participation of the community in the decision-making process of CG: including the Party organizations at grassroots level, CG, the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations, self-governed organizations of the community in villages and communes 2.4 Determinants and conditions of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community 2.4.1 Determinants of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community Factors influencing the decision-making process of the decision-making organization with participation of the community include: institutional factors and organizational structure; capacity of the commune officials; characteristics and capacity of the community; the relationship between CG and the community; resource availability; other factors 2.4.2 Conditions of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community They are institutional, resource, capacity, and time conditions 12 2.5 Experience of the selected countries in the world regarding the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community 2.5.1 Experience of Switzerland Swiss experiences that Vietnam can learn about the decision-making process of CG with participation of the community: referendum; people's initiative; local conference; exchange workshops, evening meetings 2.5.2 Experience of the Philippines The experience of the Philippines from which Vietnam can learn about the decision-making process of CG with participation of community are: meetings of the entire commune and ward; citizen initiative and referendum; co-production of the services 2.5.3 Experience of China Chine experience from which Vietnam can learn about the decisionmaking process of CG with participation of the community: establishing village self-governing institutions; co-management; the community resolving the problem under the leadership of the grassroots Party organization; 8-step decision-making process 2.5.4 Lessons learned for the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Vietnam They are the lessons concerning the institutions, capacity building for CG and the community, building positive relationships between CG and community Conclusion of Chapter Chapter THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF THE COMMUNE GOVERNMENT WITH PARTICIPATION OF THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY IN NAM DINH PROVINCE 13 3.1 Overview of the community participation and the decision-making model of the commune government in Nam Dinh province 3.1.1 Participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province All communes have a Steering Committee for the implementation of the Grassroots Democracy Regulation and promotion of the community participation in local state management However, these Steering Committee in some communes are still passive Communes have publicized the commune socio-economic development plans, investment projects, economic restructuring plans, funds, charges and fees However, some communes have not publicized properly information related to finance, assets and land The community can provide input through direct suggestions, meetings, dialogues between the local Party Committee, local government and the people However, the organization of people's meetings in some communes is ineffective when there is not enough participation as required 3.1.2 The decision-making model of the commune government in Nam Dinh province The survey shows that the decision-making process of CG has the characteristics of the organizational process model of decision-making With participation of many actors, the decision-making process of CG is a participatory organizational process model, which is very consistent with the trend of local governance, participatory decision-making 3.2 Stages in the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Community participation is studied at four levels: information, consultation, collaboration, and self-determination The areas of decisions with community participation are studied, namely: socio-economic development in the commune; plans for land use for public utility and public works at commune level; charges on extra-production and expenditure on 14 the commune-level construction works with people's contributions; commune investment 3.2.1 Stages of problem identification and goal setting - Information: The commune government attempted to provide information to the community but the efforts are not given equally in the surveyed areas There is a difference between the efforts of information provision by CG and the information accessibility of the community - Consultation: The difference between the consultation effort of CG and the suggestion provided by the community The percentage of the respondents giving suggestions is small in all four surveyed areas - Collaboration: There is a difference in collaboration between CG and the cooperation of the community The least collaboration area is commune investment, which can be explained by the lowest information accessibility of the community - Self-determination: Very few commune officials surveyed let the community determine the problem to be solved and set goals The rate of the respondents who determine the problem identification and goal setting is extremely low 3.2.2 Alternative formulation stage - Information: The commune government actively provides information to the community However, the community’s access to information is limited compared to the efforts in information provision by CG - Consultation: Consultation efforts of CG are ineffective when less than one third of the surveyed villagers contribute suggestions - Collaboration: The percentage of the surveyed villagers who are invited by the local government in collaboration is not as much as the one at consultation level At the higher level of participation, few people are invited to collaborate by CG and fewer people are participating - Self-determination: The percentage of the commune leaders surveyed who said that the community determines the alternative formulation is small 15 and the percentage of the surveyed people involving in the level of selfdetermination in all four areas was very minor 3.2.3 Alternative selection stage - Information: The commune government does not endeavor to provide information as in the alternative formulation stage Access to information by the community in all four areas in the alternative selection stage is lower than it is in the alternative formulation - Consultation: The comparison of the survey results and the findings of the Project "Enhancing people's participation in state management in Vietnamese cities through the Vietnam Urban Association" in 2009 reveals that Nam Dinh province has made progress in consultation with the community after 10 years - Collaboration: the community is less invited to collaborate than it is in the alternative formulation stage The reasons for less cooperation are explained that this work is government’s matter community does not need to participate in; the community has no capacity to participate - Self-determination: The proportion of the surveyed people who determine in the alternative selection stage is small Reasons for no determination are this is the job of the government, so the community cannot decide; the community has no capacity 3.2.4 Decision issuance stage - Information: A gap between the information provision by CG and the information access of the community 3.3 Forms of promoting participation of the residential community in the decision-making process of the commune government in Nam Dinh Province 3.3.1 Forms of information dissemination to the residential community Forms of CG’s information dissemination: loudspeakers, dissemination in the meeting, village head’s announcement, publicizing at the office of the commune People's Committee or at village cultural houses, on the website of 16 CG, suggestion forms, posters The three most used and most effective forms of production organization are community meetings, loudspeakers, and village heads' announcements Comparing the results of the thesis with the project "Enhancing the people's participation in state management in Vietnamese cities through the Vietnam Urban Association" in 2009 shows that after ten years, Nam Dinh province has made progress in disseminating information to CDDC However, according to the survey results in PAPI Report 2018 Nam Dinh needs more efforts when reaching a low average of information access 3.3.2 Forms of consultation with the residential community Forms of consultation: meeting with the people; through the village head; through local organizations; directly meeting; feedback cards; suggestion box There is a disparity between the efforts of commune officials in consultation with local people and the input provided by the people The comparison of the survey results and the findings of the Project "Enhancing people's participation in state management in Vietnamese cities through the Vietnam Urban Association" in 2009 shows that the village heads keep a role in promoting community participation However, according to PAPI 2018, Nam Dinh scored low in terms of the level and effectiveness of the community’s contact with the government compared to the national average 3.4 Factors affecting the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province - Institutional and organizational factors: Grassroots Democracy Ordinance and other legal documents create the foundation and promote the decision-making process of CG with participation of the community when specifying the areas that need information provision for the community, consultation of the community, collaboration with the community and determination by the community However, the lack of a unified process 17 restricts the quantity and quality of community participation in the decisionmaking process In the apparatus to promote the community participation, village leaders, socio-political organizations, community committees play an important role in promoting community participation - Characteristics and capacity of the community: Gender and age factors not affect the level of representation of the community in the decisionmaking process of CG Income status affects the level of the community participation when households with less income participate less Community capacity has a big impact on their participation The comparison of the survey result and the findings of the Project "Enhancing people's participation in state management in Vietnamese cities through the Vietnam Urban Association" in 2009 shows the level of education influences their participation - Capacity of commune officials: The ineffectiveness in CG’s efforts in information provision and consultation shows that commune officials have not applied appropriate methods, information and consultation techniques Commune officials not know how to encourage participation, so that the community not contribute comments Commune leaders who have a participatory decision-making perspective mobilize more CDDC participation - The relationship between CG and community: One of the reasons that the community does not participate is not to trust CG Without recognition of the participation capacity of the community, the commune officials are hesitate to involve the community at a high level of participation of cooperation and self-determination According to PAPI 2018, Nam Dinh was in the low performance groups in terms of the level and effectiveness of the community's contact with local authorities compared to the national average 3.5 Reviewing the current situation of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province 18 3.5.1 Achievement Firstly, the decision-making process of CG with participation of the community at the beginning of the process and at the highest level Secondly, the majority of the commune leaders are aware of the need and the role of the community in the decision-making process Thirdly, CG mobilizes the political system to promote the community participation Fourthly, CG implements various forms to promote the community participation Fifthly, CG shows accountability in the decision-making process 3.5.2 Weaknesses and their reasons - Weaknesses: Firstly, CG has not really effectively involved the community in the stages of the decision-making process Secondly, forms of information provision and consultation have not been used effectively Thirdly, CG has not fully promoted the role of the local organizations in engaging the community Fourthly, CG has not really created enough trust to involve the community Fifthly, the community has not actively participated in the decision-making process of CG - Reasons of the weaknesses: Firstly, there is a lack of a unified procedure for decision-making of CG with the participation of the community and the toolkit to promote community participation Secondly, the role of the apparatus to promote the community participation has not been effective Thirdly, the limited capacity of CG and the community Fourthly, there is a lack of trust between CG and the community Fifthly, the sense of responsibility and citizenship of the CDDC remains low Conclusion of Chapter Chapter VIEWPOINTS AND SOLUTIONS FOR REFINING THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF THE COMMUNE GOVERNMENT WITH PARTICIPATION OF THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY IN NAM DINH PROVINCE 19 4.1 Viewpoints for refining the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community 4.1.1 Refining the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community to promote democracy and ensure direct democracy in the rural area 4.1.2 Refining the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community on the basis of renovating the organization and operation of the commune government 4.1.3 Ensuring participation of the residential community in the decisionmaking process of the commune government within the legal framework 4.1.4 Refining the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community on the basis of renovating the content and methods of the community participation 4.2 Solutions for improvement of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community 4.2.1 Solutions for raising awareness Firstly, raising the awareness of the entire grassroots political system on the decision-making process of CG with the community participation Secondly, raising the community’s awareness of the rights, obligations to participate in local management 4.2.2 Institutional solutions Firstly, developing, communicating the procedure of participatory decision-making Second, promoting access to information 4.2.3 Solutions for the organization and operation of the commune government 4.2.4 Solutions for capacity enhancement Firstly, capacity building for the commune officials Secondly, capacity building for the community 4.2.5 Solutions for mobilizing resources 20 Firstly, budget allocation for raising awareness of community participation; capacity building for commune officials, the community Secondly, resources mobilization to promote the community participation in the decision-making process of the local government 4.2.6 Socio-economic solutions Firstly, building a positive relationship between CG and the community Secondly, building a culture of community responsibility Thirdly, other socio-economic solutions 4.3 Some recommendations 4.3.1 To the National Assembly Firstly, amend and supplement the Law on Organization of Local Governments in the direction of more decentralization and power delegation and more autonomy given to the local governments, especially at commune level Secondly, promulgate the Law on Grassroots Democracy to be commensurate with the new actual situation, with the 2013 Constitution and other laws 4.3.2 To the Government Firstly, incorporate the public participation in the decision-making process of the local authorities in the content of the administrative reform programs Secondly, promulgate the document guiding the procedure and specific contents of the organization of meetings and dialogues between the commune-level People's Committees and the people Thirdly, supplement some provisions in the Regulation on Guidance of the organization of village, street block activities 4.3.3 To Nam Dinh province Firstly, communicate the role and right of community participation in the decision-making process of CG Secondly, develop a procedure of participatory decision-making and a toolkit to promote the community participation in the decision-making process improve the capacity in community participation promotion for commune leaders, village heads, 21 socio-political organizations, self-governing community boards Fourthly, strengthen the commune Steering Committee for grassroots democracy implementation, expand its membership to promote the community participation Fifthly, develop and refine the evaluation criteria for the grassroots democracy implementation in the commune, including the criteria of community participation (access to information, consultation, cooperation and self-determination) in the decision-making process of CG Sixthly, incorporate the criteria of the community participation in the decisionmaking process of CG in the evaluation criteria of cultural families and cultural residential areas Seventhly, commend and reward the communes that promote effectively the community participation in the decision-making process Disseminate good practices in the participatory decision-making process of CG for replication in the province Conclusion of Chapter CONCLUSION The dissertation "The decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province" has completed the identified theoretical and practical research tasks Firstly, the dissertation has studied the scientific rationales of the decision-making process of the commune government The theoretical and legal rationales of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community have been examined The necessity and objectivity of participation of the residential community in the decision-making process of the commune government, determinants of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community, conditions of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community have been also reviewed The dissertation has provided a practical rationale for the decision-making process of the commune government with participation 22 of the residential community in Vietnam and in some selected countries Secondly, the dissertation has analyzed the determinants of the decisionmaking process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Thirdly, the dissertation has analyzed and reviewed the current situation of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province The decision-making of the commune government follows the participatory organizational process model The dissertation described the actual situation of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province in the selected areas under jurisdiction of the commune government The dissertation has identified the achievements of the commune government with participation of the residential community, the weaknesses and their reasons Fourthly, the dissertation proposes viewpoints and solutions for improvement of the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community in Nam Dinh province Based on theoretical and practical research, the dissertation has made some recommendations to the central and local bodies: recommendations to the National Assembly, to the Government, and to Nam Dinh province The dissertation has proved the scientific hypothesis: The decisionmaking process of the commune government concerning the areas related to the residential community need participation of the residential community to be legal, reasonable, feasible, and to get public consensus The decisionmaking process of the commune government in Nam Dinh province lacks active and effective participation of the residential community The inadequate capacity of the commune government officials and the residential community restricts community participation in the decision-making of the commune government Institutionalization of the residential community participation and improved capacity of the commune officials and 23 community promote the community participation in the decision-making process of the commune government A unified procedure of a participatory decision-making with a toolkit for participation promotion and enhancing capacity of the commune government officials and the residential community will refine the decision-making process of the commune government with participation of the residential community, improving quality of the decision-making of the commune government, promoting grassroots democracy in Nam Dinh province 24 LIST OF PUBLICATIONS Nguyen Thi Thu Cuc (2019), Promoting participation of the residential community in the decision-making process of the local government, Communist Review, Issue 23 (8/2019) Nguyen Thi Thu Cuc (2019), Involving the residential community in the decision-making process of the government at commune level in Nam Dinh province, State Management Review, Issue 283 (8/2019) Nguyen Thi Thu Cuc (2018), Experience in involving the residential community in the decision-making process of the grassroots government in selected countries, State Management Review, Issue 268 (5/2018) Nguyen Thi Thu Cuc (2018), Issues of participation of the residential community in the decision-making process of the grassroots government, Journal of Political Theories, Issue 5/2018 Nguyen Thi Thu Cuc (2017), Models of decision-making in public organizations, Journal of State Organization, Issue 12/2017 Nguyen Thi Thu Cuc (2017), Role of the residential community in participating in the decision-making process of the commune-level government, State Management Review, Issue 258 (7/2017) Nguyen Thi Thu Cuc (2013), The residential community participating in the local decision-making process, State Management Review, Issue 206 (3/2013) Nguyen Thi Thu Cuc (2012), Strengthening participation of the residential community in local governance, State Management Review, Issue 197 (6/2012) 25 ... National Library of VietNam - Library of the National Academy of Public Administration INTRODUCTION Necessity of the research Commune government is a grassroots government in the rural areas,... Committee for grassroots democracy implementation, expand its membership to promote the community participation Fifthly, develop and refine the evaluation criteria for the grassroots democracy... administrative units between countries, many countries not have an administrative unit called a commune but have an entity and administrative level with the same functions and tasks as CG in Vietnam