Bridging the gap between policy and practice

At the upcoming 10th session, the 15th National Assembly will consider amending and supplementing a number of articles of the 2024 Land Law, including the issue of land prices and valuation. This is a content that has received great attention from people and businesses since the 2024 Land Law was still in draft form.

The adjustment of this law ensures better conformity with the two-tier local government model, while also demonstrating proactive efforts to shorten the gap between policy and implementation practices, through updating changes in social life.

According to the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents, when drafting a law, it is necessary to consult widely, especially with the groups of subjects directly affected. In fact, some draft laws seem to have not received wide consultation, and the drafts were posted on the electronic information portal along with a number of specialized seminars in a short period of time. Therefore, many professional associations, businesses and people - who will be directly affected - sometimes do not have time to give in-depth feedback. On the other hand, impact assessment reports are an important step to ensure that policies are scientifically based and feasible. However, some reports do not fully quantify compliance costs, implementation risks or negative impacts; the data used to prepare the reports is often outdated. In some cases, the reports have not really become the basis for policy adjustments.

International experience shows that after soliciting comments, the drafting agency often publishes a summary of comments and explains the reasons for accepting or not accepting them. This provision has also been implemented in Vietnam, but implementation has not been consistent in some draft laws. In new areas such as the digital economy , green energy or artificial intelligence, the pace of change is so fast that any long-term impact assessment has a significant potential “lag”.

To bridge the gap from comments to laws, according to many experts, we should resolutely change three points. First, the consultation must be directed to the right group of affected subjects, with a long enough time and diverse methods. Second, comprehensive impact assessment, taking into account both costs and benefits, updated according to the latest developments in the market and society. Third, the feedback and explanation mechanism must ensure that all comments are considered and clearly responded to.

When that is done, the law will truly "live long", become an effective management tool, and at the same time create trust and consensus in society.

NGOC QUANG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/rut-ngan-khoang-cach-giua-chinh-sach-va-thuc-te-post808420.html