DDCI Index Basis for assessing business satisfaction with the government

Innovate survey format

The competitiveness index at the department, industry and local levels is an objective information channel, honestly reflecting the assessment of businesses and people on the management of state administrative agencies and local authorities; the attitude, responsibility and style of cadres and civil servants in performing public duties.

Comrade Dinh Thi Thuy Ngan, Director of the Department of Planning and Investment, said: 2023 is the third consecutive year that Ninh Binh has implemented the Department, Branch, Sector and Locality Competitiveness Index (DDCI) to promote administrative reform, improve the quality of administrative procedure settlement and service quality for people and businesses; at the same time, create competition and emulation in the quality of economic consulting and management between departments, branches, sectors and People's Committees of districts and cities. Thereby, contributing to improving the favorable investment and business environment in all fields.

The implementation of the Competitiveness Index at the department, branch and local level this year has many new points. This is the first year the province has implemented an online survey, receiving great support from the business community (response rate is 50.87%). The investigation and survey work was carried out by the Contractor in coordination with Ninh Binh Provincial Post Office under the close supervision of the DDCI Support Team.

Mr. Nguyen Phuong Bac, Director of the Institute for Socio-Economic Research and Development of Bac Ninh province, representative of the contractor implementing the project, said: The contractor screened, selected samples, and verified information on 3,100 enterprises, business households, and cooperatives that are operating, producing, trading, or implementing project investments in the province using the random stratified sampling method, using stratification on enterprise types, main business fields, and operating locations in districts/cities according to the PCI survey method.

The structure of the survey subjects by location and type is basically consistent with the structure of the overall enterprises, cooperatives and individual business households, thus ensuring high representativeness for the production and business areas of the province. In particular, the type of business registration, the group of subjects participating in the survey accounts for the majority of enterprises, of which LLCs account for 64.61%, joint stock companies account for 13.27%, private enterprises account for 7.39%, individual business households account for 12.08%. The survey participants are all company directors or department-level leaders directly responsible for performing administrative procedure transactions (TTHC) of enterprises with State management agencies, who have a firm grasp of their unit's activities, and basically understand the TTHC related to their unit's business activities, so answering the interview questions is relatively convenient, accurately reflecting the actual situation.

According to comrade Dinh Thi Thuy Ngan, the survey results and comments were compiled, analyzed, and evaluated in a complete, objective, and transparent manner; as a basis for departments, branches, sectors, and localities in the province to receive comments and suggestions from businesses, thereby continuing to promote what has been done, seriously overcoming shortcomings and limitations to improve the quality of management of authorities at all levels; continuing to improve the investment and business environment, and enhancing the competitiveness of Ninh Binh province in the following years.

Actively improve provincial competitiveness index

After 3 years of implementation, the assessment of competitiveness at the department, branch, industry and local level has had a great impact on the awareness of each agency and unit, especially the leader in self-examining and reviewing the quality of performing administrative tasks related to enterprises. This is the channel for businesses to perceive and feel about the management of departments, branches, industries and localities, so if they know how to filter and perceive the true nature, it will help improve the leadership capacity, effectiveness and efficiency in the management and operation of agencies and units. Therefore, the administrative reform work of Ninh Binh has made strong progress.

The province's 2022 Public Administration Reform Index (PAR INDEX) ranked 17th out of 63 provinces and cities; the People's Satisfaction Index with State Administrative Services (SIPAS) ranked 25th; the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) ranked 20th. The Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) ranked 44th out of 63, up 14 places compared to 2021.

There are only 2 years left until the end of the 2020-2025 term, in the context of many difficulties in the world and in the country, affecting the socio-economic development in general and the development of the business community in particular. Therefore, departments, branches, and localities need to continue to promote the spirit of sharing, accompanying, and supporting so that businesses can feel secure and excited about production and business, creating new values, contributing to ensuring the growth rate according to the set goals. At the same time, strengthen coordination, review criteria, proactively overcome existing problems and limitations, especially reforming administrative procedures, creating the most favorable conditions for businesses in the process of investment, production, and business in Ninh Binh, thereby actively contributing to improving the province's competitiveness index.

To do this, all levels and sectors in the province need to regularly review, update and adjust the DDCI Index to closely follow the issues that the business community is concerned about, not avoiding sensitive issues, being receptive and listening to the voice of the business community to strongly and substantially improve the investment and business environment, closely following the PCI index and the PAPI, SIPAS, PAR Index indexes, while ensuring the socio-economic development of the province. Strengthen the application of information technology and research, adjust the structure of the survey form to increase the rate of valid returned forms in the direction of reducing the rate of indirect survey forms via mail, increasing the rate of online survey forms. At the same time, review and develop a form with short, concise, easy-to-understand and easy-to-answer questions.

Along with that, the Provincial Business Association and the Business Associations of districts, cities, and the Provincial Young Entrepreneurs Association need to strengthen information and propaganda work so that businesses understand the role and significance and actively participate in surveys and answer assessment forms in the DDCI Index. Proactively research and find appropriate solutions to propagate and support legal knowledge for individual business households, small and micro enterprises in the area. At the same time, strengthen coordination, review criteria, proactively overcome existing problems and limitations, especially reforming administrative procedures, creating the most favorable conditions for businesses in the process of investment, production and business in Ninh Binh, thereby actively contributing to improving the province's competitiveness index.

Article and photos: Nguyen Thom

Source