Consultancy for Senior Researcher Data Analysis and Report Writing for 2019

Terms of Reference

Consultancy for Senior Researcher
Data Analysis and Report Writing for 2019 Global Corruption Barometer
(GCB) Vietnam Country Report

1. Background

Corruption  has  been  a  deeply  entrenched  systematic issue  in  Vietnam.  Despite a  great  deal of  anti-corruption efforts by the Communist Party and the State, corruption remains a serious problem in the country  (as  evidenced  with  the  Global  Corruption  Barometer  Vietnam  Report  in  2017  and  the Corruption  Perception  Index  in  2018).  The  year  2017  was  indeed  seen  as  a  critical  period  for  anti-corruption,  whereby  the  Government  adopted  an  Anti -Corruption  Programme  of  Actions  towards 2020  (specified  in  the Degree No.  126  promulgating  8  groups  of  key  AC-related  tasks)  while  a corruption  crackdown,  mainly  in  energy  and  banking  sectors,  was  spearheaded  by  the  Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong. The government anti-corruption campaign continued during the year 2018 whena revised Anti-Corruption Law was adopted on 20 Novemberand became effective as of July 2019.

Specifically, the Government of Vietnam has committed to “substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms” by 2030 (Vietnam Sustainable Development Goals, Target 16.5).  The Government of Vietnam’s Anti-corruption Programme  of  Actions  (Degree  No.  126) furthermore outlines sociological  surveysto provide  evidence-based  data  on  corruption as  one  of  the  anti-corruption tasks in Vietnam. Towards TransparencyVietnam, in the same vein, believes that tracking the public’s perceptions of and experiences with corruption and how levels of corruption are changing over  time is  criticalto  inform  anti-corruption policy making.  For instance, TT’s 2017 GCB Vietnam report recommended that anti-corruption efforts should be focusedon addressing systemic problems that enable corruption in sectors that citizens perceived to be most corrupt and those with the highest bribery rates. This is because it was recorded that 72% of Vietnamese surveyed citizens think that the level  of  corruption  in  the  publicsector  is  a  serious  problem,  a  clear  increase  from  61%  reported  in 2013. Next to that, the reported bribery rate increased considerablyfrom 2013 to 2016, e.g. in public health care (from 22% to 59%) and public education (from 15% to 57%), according to the 2017 GCB Vietnam Report.

The Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) and Vietnam GCB country reports

Based on Transparency International (TI)’s methodology, the Global Corruption Barometer is the largest worldwide public opinion corruption survey which has been published regularly since 2002. The survey captures people’s experiences with bribery across different institutions, views of corruption, the effectiveness of their government’s anticorruption efforts, as well as willingness to stand up against corruption.  The  GCB provides  by  far  the  most  comprehensive  and  detailed  evidence  source  on corruption  worldwide.  It  is  also  extremely  effective  in  putting  the  issue  of  corruption  on  the  public agenda, as it holds the mirror up to government and private sector as to how the people perceive their ethical conduct. As the largest global survey on corruption and governance, TI’s Global Corruption Barometer  has  therefore  become  a  key  resource  for  governments,  donors,  private  sector,  media, academia and civil society alike.

Vietnam has been included in three editions of the GCB: 2011, 2013, and 2017. The 2017 GCB is based on country-level data collected from May to June 2016. Towards Transparency-(TT)- The TI’s National Contact in Vietnam led in developing the Vietnamcountry reports (2011-2013 and 2017). The results of these GCBs reports have been shared widely in Vietnam with key anti-corruption agencies, media, development partners and other stakeholders.

2. Ongoing 2019 GCB in Vietnam

The  main  objective  of  the GCB is  to  collect  and  provide  detailed  evidence  on  how  corruption  is perceived   and   experienced   in   Vietnamby itscitizens.  GCB   2019 also aims   at   providing recommendations to the Communist Party of Vietnam,the government anti-corruptionagencies and other stakeholders on how to eliminate  bribery in public services, engage citizens in anti-corruption efforts and address corruption in the private sector.

Thefield work to collect data for GCB 2019 takes place during July –August in 19 provinces and cities of6  economic  regions  of  Vietnam.  It  is  expected  that  the  raw  datafrom  the  field  surveyof  1,100 citizens, available in Excel format, will be available in September 2019.  Using these data, TT plans to conduct further analysis to produce a concise presentation and report on the corruption situation in Vietnam-through  the  eyes  of  citizens. TT  is  seeking  a  qualified  senior  researcher to develop  the Vietnam GCB Vietnam countryreport 2019.

3. Key Objective of the consultancy

The senior researcherwill be in charge of analysing the field data, study key socio-political factors that have implications on the results, and write the Vietnam GCB 2019 Country Report.It  should  be  noted  that  the  2019  GCB  Vietnam  report,  unlike  other  GCB  Vietnam  editions, will  be strictly limited to Vietnam specific data. Indeed, in previous GCB editions, regional GCB data (ASEAN and Asia Pacific) was available and referred to for comparison.

4. Key Activities

The senior researcher will conduct the following activities:

• Performdata analysis;
• Literature review, including studying GCBs Vietnam reports 2011, 2013 and 2017and other relevant surveysby other stakeholders, e.g. PAPI;
• Discuss with TT team on key set of data to be selected for comparing data over time (GCB-2011/2013/2017);
• Study significant socio-political developmentsin Vietnam since the last GCB2017 that can help understanding the evolution ofresultsover time;
• Write survey reportensuring that all findings are robust and statistically sound;
• Comments on TT’s draft Frequently Asks Questions about GCB Vietnam 2019;
• Participate in the launching workshopof the report.

The senior researcher will report to TT’s International Senior Advisor.

5. Expected outputs (deliverables)

The following timely outputsare expected to be delivered:

• September 20, 2019: two weeks after the disaggregated data will be handed over by TT, the Senior Researcher willdiscuss with TT a draft report outline.
• October 31: the first GCB-2019 draft report in English, including explainingkeysocio-political factors, will be delivered to TT.
• November 30: the seconddraft of the GCB-2019 report (max 30 pages excluding Annexes) in English including TT’s comments and inputs, will be delivered for TT’s approval.
• December  15-20: Well-proofread  Vietnamese translation  of  the  final GCB 2019 report available (TT will arrange the translation from English into Vietnamese).
• January 1st, 2020:a PowerPoint presentation of the GCB-2019 report will be delivered to TT in English and Vietnamese languages.
• January 7, 2020: the Senior Researcher willparticipate in the launchingworkshop of the report (the date subject to change) and may be requested to jointly make a presentationof the report with TT. Please note that contract payment will besubject to satisfactory and timely delivery ofthe deliverablesas listed above.

6. Selection criteria

• PhD or Masterdegree in political sciences, development studies, or social sciences, along with relevant technical knowledge in quantitative survey methodologies, research methods;
• At least 10 years’ experiencein leading andcoordinating survey reports. Experience in writinga national quantitative survey report will be considered a plus;
• Strong understanding of Vietnam’s governance and anti-corruption issues;
• Language skills: fluency in Vietnamese and English;
• Ability to conduct data analyses, including collating and presenting survey data;
• Strong verbal and written communication skills;

8. Timeframe

The consultancy is scheduledto take place part-time from 1st September till 15 January 2020, over a fourand halfmonth period.

9. Application Submission

Please email your application package to the following email address: consultancy@towardstransparency.vn by 31 July 2019 with “Vietnam GCB 2019 ’’ in the subject line.  The application should include the following:

• A statement explaining yourunderstanding of the assignment (or a brief overview of how the assignmentwill be conducted).
• A cover letter describing your motivation and qualifications for the assignment, as well as commitment to deliver the service by 15 January2020.
• Relevant references for survey reports dealing with similar social topics.
• Curriculum vitae+ names and contacts of 2 references
• Budget detailing number of working days (and administration costs, if any).

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