How Social Movements Influence Government Policy in a One-Party State

Terms of Engagement: How social movements influence government policy in a one-party state Caitlin Wyndham Submitted to Central European University Department of Political Science, Public Policy, and International Relations In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Supervisor: Violetta Zentai CEU eTD Collection Budapest, Hungary 15 April, 2019 Word count: 86,500 Abstract The background to this project dates back to 2001 when I first arrived in Vietnam and started working on a project to encourage the formation of ‘self-help’ groups of people with disabilities. Around the same time, groups of people living with HIV also began to form and embryonic movements appeared. More than ten years later it was clear that these movements had achieved significant influence in the form of new laws and changed cultural understandings of their communities, and that the environment for civil society and citizen voice had changed significantly. I embarked on this research to better understand the import of these movements, and in particular how, as highly marginalized citizens, they had managed to get the one-party state to listen. Rather than focussing on dissident and opposition movements, I was far more interested in how regular citizens were interacting with the state, and how and why the state was responding. This dissertation considers the question of how social movements in a one-party state can achieve policy outcomes through in depth case studies of three movements: the movement of people living with HIV; the movement of people with disabilities; and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual movement. Social movement theory has been developed based largely on empirical studies of protest movements in ‘Western’ democratic countries. The findings of this project indicate that this is a problem. I find that theory is currently unable to explain these non-protest movements in a non-democratic environment. The study critiques a number of key theoretical concepts; for example finding that framing is not simply a tool for achieving other policy goals, or a condition explaining policy success, but is an integral part of the movements’ desired outcome. In addition, findings contribute to theory building around the key role of public opinion and the media for movement outcomes, despite the non-democratic context. The findings suggest that theory will be improved if researchers consider a wider range of movements and a variety of contentious tactics, in a variety of political environments. The study also by necessity considers the question of why elites in Vietnam have been so responsive to these movements. In a democratic environment, political response to movements is assumed to be electoral; elected representatives are responsive if and when they fear losing power. In a non-democratic environment, the question of elite response cannot be so easily glossed over. The research finds that while utilitarian authority maintenance mechanisms are relevant; far more important are characteristics of political & administrative culture, the morals and ideas of individual decision makers, and entrenched systems of power and resources. These insights are also likely relevant in democratic environments and offer exciting opportunities for future research. CEU eTD Collection Through consideration of the dynamic interactions between citizens, elite decision makers, media and international agents, the study goes beyond consideration of social movement outcomes to offer insight into how the one-party state is changing and learning as part of the fascinating live experiment in governance that is currently being conducted in Vietnam. An epilogue considers how some of the key trends emerging from the research are contributing to both continuity and change in Vietnam’s reform process and what this might mean for relationships between citizens and the state into the future. ii Statements I hereby declare that this thesis contains no materials accepted for any other degrees in any other institutions. I hereby certify that this thesis contains no materials previously written and/or published by myself or another person, except where appropriate acknowledgment is made in the form of bibliographical reference, etc. Caitlin Wyndham 15 April, 2019 CEU eTD Collection iii A note on use of Vietnamese language The Vietnamese is used for key concepts with an English translation in order to ensure clarity and faithfulness to the original language. For place names, I use the Vietnamese spelling, separating the syllables e.g.: Hải Phong. Exceptions are major cities such as Hanoi that are well known, and for which it would seem strange to change the commonly accepted spelling. CEU eTD Collection iv Acronyms AIDS Acquired immune deficiency syndrome ARV Anti retro-viral drugs ASVHO The Association of Support for Vietnamese Handicapped and Orphans CBO Community based organisation CCIC Vietnam Communist Party Central Committee for Ideology and Culture CPV Communist Party of Vietnam CSA Committee on Social Affairs (of the Vietnamese National Assembly) CRPD U.N. Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities CSO Civil society organisation DFID Department for International Development (UK) DPI Disabled Peoples’ International DPO Disabled Persons’ Organisation ERA Equal Rights Amendment GIPA Greater involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS GoV Government of Vietnam FHF Friends Help Friends’ group HCMC Ho Chi Minh city HIV Human Immuno-deficiency virus HVO Health Volunteers Overseas ICF International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health ICS Information, Communication, Sharing Centre IDU Injection drug user IO International organisation ILO International Labour Organisation iSEE Institute for Society, Environment, Economy LGBT Lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual NCADP National Committee on AIDS, Drugs and Prostitution NCCD National Coordinating Council on Disability NGO Non-government organisation PFLAG Parents of Lesbian and Gay people PLHIV People living with HIV PWD Person/People with a disability SIDA Swedish International Development Agency SIDA Acronym for HIV in French, Spanish and some other languages SOGI Sexual orientation and gender identification MoET Ministry of Education and Training MoJ Ministry of Justice MoLISA Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs MMT Methadone maintenance therapy MSM Men who have sex with men CEU eTD Collection NSP Needle and syringe programs PEPFAR US Presidents’ Emergency Plan for AIDS relief UNDP United Nations Development Program UNGASS United Nations General Assembly Special Assembly on Drugs USAID United States Agency for International Development VAC Vietnam AIDS Committee VFD Vietnam Federation of Organisations of People with Disabilities VNAH Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped VNSW Vietnam Network of Sex Workers VNPUD Vietnam Network of People who use Drugs v VNMSM-TG Vietnam Network of MSM and Transgender people VNP+ Vietnam Network of HIV Positive People VTV Vietnam Television WHO World Health Organisation WTO World Trade Organisation CEU eTD Collection vi List of tables Table 1: Typology of Vietnamese associations, with examples Table 2: Operationalizing outcomes summary table Table 3: Timeline of key legal events and development of the movement of PLHIV Table 4: Increase in domestic HIV funding 1995 – 2013 compared to international assistance Table 5: The growth in the movement of people with disabilities 1990 - 2010 Table 6: Timetable of discussion and approval of the Vietnam Law on People with Disabilities Table 7: Timeline of key legal events and development of the movement of people with disabilities Table 8: Timetable of discussion and approval of the revised Law on Marriage and Family 2000 Table 9: Key events in LGBT movement development and the campaign for same-sex marriage List of Figures Figure 1: The watering down of the Law on Marriage and Family 2000 (revised) CEU eTD Collection vii Acknowledgements It is traditional to acknowledge the difficulties in achieving a final PhD dissertation, and certainly this project has met with many speed bumps along the way. However, for me this research has been an enjoyable ride, and while I can’t say I’d do it again, I’ve certainly gained a lot from the experience. It is a rare opportunity for an institution to provide financial and intellectual resources for multiple years to read widely, investigate, and pursue your own intellectual interests, with very little required in return. For this opportunity I will always be appreciative to the Central European University and the staff and colleagues who were part of my experience there. The opportunity to research and investigate my experiences of Vietnam, in such a wonderful city as Budapest was truly incredible experience. In particular I would like to acknowledge the supervisor of this research; Viola Zentai. She has been a helpful and inspiring guide for this project, understanding the potential from the beginning, meeting me where I was, and helping me to grow and do my best work. Her advice and suggestions for methodological approaches, relevant literature, how to undertake the field research, and support and guidance during the writing process has been essential for my success. My supervisory panel have also been very helpful in providing different perspectives and intellectual stimulation throughout the process. I also appreciate the flexibility of both Viola and the CEU that enabled me to manage the various problems that arose, and continue with my

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