Purpose

• Clarify theoretical basis of integrating social protection policies into socio-economic development programs.
• Real situation of integrating social protection policies into socio-economic development programs in Vietnam in period 2011-2015.
• Propose measures for integrating social protection policies into socio-development programs in the period 2016-2020; ensure stable development and social unity.

Main Findings

• Integratingpolicies on social assistance, basic social services access, social protection into economic development policies to reduce social consequences of financial crisis and calamity, especially for vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, the poor, etc…
• The integration encouraged the participation of community, information sharing in different levels, achieve coherence, support and supplementation to fulfill overall objectives; created conditions for social protection policies to become supporting instruments of socio-economic process at provinces; actively met the requirements of basic approaching needs for education, healthcare, nutrition, housing, clean water, environmental hygiene of people; gradually reduce the multidimensional poverty.
• Currently, the integration of social protection policies did not produce desired effects, still contained defects in the construction and implementation of policies; the success of the integration of social protection policies and policies system of economic development programs still depended on the political commitments of the leaders, managers; the policies with contents overlapped and duplicated with managing, steering and operating clues were still enforced, which leaded to the fact that investment resources were scattered, dispersed and achieved low efficiency. Social protection system did not exert effects in rural, remote areas and unofficial economic zones.

Solutions

• Continue to complete measures, process of integrating social protection policies and socio-economic development programs in different levels.
• Ministries, line ministries and provinces need to institutionalize by documents to guide, direct and enhance the integration of social protection policies into the strategies, plans, programs, projects with the participation of related parties; promote the interdisciplinary cooperation, cross link among agencies, organizations, social unions, etc… to increase the effectiveness of documents on guiding and implementing the integration of social protection policies into policies, plans on socio-economic development and special support for people in disadvantaged communities, minority ethnic groups.
• Continue to complete the criteria system to supervise the stable development in social sector; standardize, establish criteria which reflect the relations among social protection and economic development, lack criteria to supervise the integration of social protection and strategies, socio-economic development programs.

2014- TS. Bui Sy Tuan and research team