Sustainable Development Goals in Laos (PDF)

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This book provides an insight on the development of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR or Laos) under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2015 by analyzing how the SDGs have shaped Lao domestic institutions and developed policies. It also investigates the relationship and partnership of the Lao government and the international community as a partner. Post-socialist approach is applied to reveal the politics of development and legitimation. Moreover, this book contributes an in-depth discussion on Lao development that serves as a point of reference for scholars who are interested in Laos and Southeast Asian studies.

Book data

Author

Series Title

ISBN

Publication Date

August 18, 2022

No. of Pages

216

About the author

Supitcha Punya is a lecturer in School of Politics and Government, Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, Chiang Mai University. Supitcha obtained her bachelor degree in political science, master degree in government from Chiang Mai University and a Ph.D. in Southeast Asian Studies from Humboldt University of Berlin.

Table Of Contents

1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………1
Post-socialist approach ………………………………………………4
Post-socialist in Asia ……………………………………………..5
Post-socialist dilemmas and the regime
legitimation in Laos ………………………………………………6
Process tracing and elite interview as a method ………….9
Limitation of the study …………………………………………….. 12
Book outline ……………………………………………………………. 13

2. Development in Laos and its debate ………………………… 15
The construction of Lao modernity …………………………. 15
The interplay between the development partners
and the Lao government under the Round Table Meeting ……………………………………….. 20
The Party-led development in Laos under the
Party Congress ………………………………………………………… 23
Long-term development aspiration and
development debates in Laos …………………………………… 24
Concluding remarks ………………………………………………… 32

3. Regime Legitimacy in Post–Socialist Laos ……………….. 35
Ideological legitimacy ……………………………………………… 36
Ideological legitimation for nation-building and the
socialist transformation (1975–1985) ………………………………….. 39
The socialist dilemma: How the Party re-constructs
the ideology to deal with capitalism and globalization
(1986–present) ……………………………………………………………………. 42
Pragmatic acceptance: development legitimation in
post-socialist Laos …………………………………………………………………… 48
Developmental legitimation: economic development and
graduation from the least developed country status under
the Party’s supervision ………………………………………………………… 49
Political stability in the one-state party ……………………………….. 52
Revolutionary potential: the middle class, civil society
and intellectuals in Laos ………………………………………………………….. 54
Socialist consolidation in Lao political structure ……………………… 62
Institutional overlap between the Parties, the Lao
government, the National Assembly, and the People’s
Court ………………………………………………………………………………….. 63
Central and local relations in the political structure
of Laos ………………………………………………………………………………… 66
Elite cohesion and co-optation in the Party ………………………… 70
Concluding remarks ………………………………………………………………… 74

4. The politics of development in Laos under the
Sustainable Development Goals .……………………………………………… 75
The controversy of the international development
norms: from the Millennium Development Goals
to the Sustainable Development Goals ………………………………… 76
The standardization of the state: The development
assistance from the development partners under
the SDGs …………………………………………………………………………….. 80
The development agendas of the development partners
in Lao development ……………………………………………………………. 84
Are principles of democracy hidden in the SDGs? ……………… 96
Is Lao state power being transformed under the
international development norms? ………………………………………99
Lao-style development……………………………………………………….102
The fourth pillar of the SDGs in Laos …………………………………104
Restructuring Lao domestic institutions under the
SDGs in Laos …………………………………………………………………….106
Economic development: sustainable and inclusive
growth to bring the country out of LDC status …………………..106
Social Inclusion: Narrowing the development and
gender inequality gaps ……………………………………………………….110
Environmental Sustainability: Green-growth
development ………………………………………………………………………113
Good Governance: rule of law, people’s participation,
and tackling corruption in nominal democratic
institutions ………………………………………………………………………..115
The SDGs as a source of regime legitimacy:
How do the SDGs work in Laos? ……………………………………….120
Concluding remarks ……………………………………………………………….122

5. When expectations meet reality: Lao state capacity
to graduate from the LDC status …………………………………………….125
How to investigate Lao state capacity …………………………………127
Financial management capacity: Centralized fiscal
management and an unbalanced distribution …………………….129
Human capital capacity: Degree of professionalization
and the patronage system …………………………………………………..139
Institutional capacity and autonomy ………………………………….142
How can the state capacity support the SDGs in the
country? …………………………………………………………………………….144
When expectations meet reality: Debates on Lao
development ………………………………………………………………………146
Hydropower dam development: Are things really
flowing smoothly? ……………………………………………………………..146
Laos under the global pandemic: Can Laos really graduate
from its status as a Least Developed Country by 2026? ………150
After graduation from the Least Development Country
status: What comes next? …………………………………………………..153
Concluding remarks ……………………………………………………………….157

6. Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………..159
Post-socialist Laos: development as another source
of the regime legitimacy …………………………………………………….160
Sustainable Development Goals under the Party-led
development in Laos ………………………………………………………….162
Lao state capacity ………………………………………………………………165
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………… 169

About the series

Developments in the field of area studies — goaded by the analytical deconstruction of world regions from their geopolitical sense — have deeply affected the knowledge production from societies and cultures located in the politicized compartmentalization of the globe. With this series, the editors and authors wish to contribute to a reformulation of sensibilities in area studies which emphasizes the epistemic value of contextualized knowledge production. Starting with the notion of Southeast Asia, books published in this series will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of regionality based on a multidisciplinary approach. The series represents an outlet for young scholars intending to publish their degree theses; and for established scholars who are looking for a place to republish out-of-print books. We also encourage scholarly collectives from the regions to publish collaborative works or edited volumes on topics that usually will not attract the attention of big presses due to their transdisciplinary orientation.

Editorial Board

Prof. Caroline S. Hau
Prof. Vincent Houben
Prof. Boike Rehbein
Prof. Barend Terwiel
Dr. Xue Li
Dr. Benjamin Baumann
Dr. Daniel Bultmann