Peculiarities of scientific research at Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and requirements for an appropriate management mechanism

Prof., Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo Member, President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, chaired the Conference deploying projects under the National Special Science and Technology Program for the period 2021-2025 - Photo: Manh Thang

1. Peculiarities of scientific research at Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

The Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (the Academy) operates as an agency affiliated with the Central Committee of the Party, under the direct, regular, and comprehensive leadership and direction of the Politburo and the Secretariat. It serves as the national center for training and nurturing cadres in middle and senior leadership and management roles and for cultivating cadres in the political theory science of the Party, the State, and socio-political unions. Additionally, it functions as the national center for the study of Marxist - Leninist Theory, Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Party’s directives, and guidelines, as well as the policies and laws of the State.

Over its more than 70 years of dedicated development and progress, the Academy has been at the forefront of studies in political science, theory, and practice, contributing to protecting, enriching, and advancing the ideological foundation of the Party while aiding the formulation of Vietnam’s revolutionary guidelines, strategies, directives, and orientations for national development across the different eras. As a national center for the research of political theory, the Academy’s endeavors in scientific research exhibit distinct characteristics when compared to prominent scientific research centers (such as the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences), as well as other research institutions within the country. This distinctiveness is demonstrated in the following main peculiarities:

Firstly, the Academy’s distinctiveness is manifested in its designated functions and duties (according to Decision No. 145-QD/TW dated August 8, 2018, by the Politburo).

Regarding its functions: The Academy assumes the mantle of a national center for scientific research into Marxist - Leninist Theory and Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Party’s guidelines and directives, the State’s policies and laws, political science, leadership science, and management science. This comprehensive and unique feature sets the Academy apart.

Concerning its missions: The primary scientific research duties of the Academy encompass: (1) Studying the Marxist - Leninist Theory, Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Party’s guidelines, and the State’s policies and laws; (2) Synthesizing practical experiences and evolving the theory of socialism, outlining Vietnam’s unique path towards socialism; (3) Studying and compiling the history of the Communist Party of Vietnam alongside the global revolutionary movements; (4) Studying and building curriculum content for the Academy’s training and nurturing programs; (5) Conducting scholarly research, proposing, and putting forward scientific arguments to guide the Party and the State in shaping guidelines, directives, and policies for constructing and developing the country, building the Party and the State, and reforming the political system’s organization and operation.

Secondly, the Academy’s distinctiveness is reflected in its process of selecting chairpersons and leading agencies responsible for executing scientific projects and tasks.

Currently, the selection of project leaders and leading agencies for scientific projects and tasks employs three main methods: recruitment, bidding, or direct assignment. Depending on the scale, nature, and scope of each project, regulators choose the chairperson and the lead agency accordingly to achieve optimal research outcomes. Recruitment, selection, and direct assignment of individuals and organizations for scientific tasks must ensure openness, transparency, and fairness. For national-level scientific tasks, the recruitment, selection, and assignment of such tasks to individuals and organizations shall adhere to Circular No. 08/2017/TT-BKHCN dated June 26, 2017, issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The Academy excels in studies of political theory science, particularly in specific disciplines and majors such as Marxist - Leninist Philosophy, Marxist - Leninist Political Economy, Scientific Socialism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, Party Construction, and Party History. Additionally, the Academy boasts a plethora of leading experts and scientists from across the country. As a result, certain scientific research tasks require specific methods of selecting responsible chairpersons or leading organizations. To ensure the selection of competent and reputable organizations for these tasks, as well as recruiting highly qualified, professional, and experienced individuals for leadership roles in research, the Academy prioritizes the use of direct assignment or designation methods and limits the use of the bidding method. However, employing direct assignment or designation methods for individuals to assume leadership roles demands special attention to the capacity and experience of these lead agencies and individuals, aiming to ensure the right person is assigned to the right job, thus enhancing the quality and efficiency of scientific tasks, and avoiding assignment to organizations, agencies, and individuals lacking sufficient capacity and experience in implementation.

Thirdly, the Academy’s distinctiveness is manifested in its methods of scientific management.

The peculiarity of these scientific management methods arises from the Academy’s functions and tasks in conducting research in political theory science. In particular, many research contents subject to direct consideration and decision by the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat are directly related to the Party’s ideological foundation, the nature of our country’s socialist political system, as well as the fortune and destiny of the Vietnamese people. Consequently, aside from disseminating research findings within society and promoting the transfer and application of these findings in daily life, certain scientific research tasks necessitate special management approaches to safeguard the confidentiality of many research content. These tasks encompass studies of scientific arguments aimed at ensuring the stability and sustainable development of Vietnam’s political system; the research, synthesis, proposal of enhancements, and development of Marxism - Leninism a vital element of the ideological bedrock of the Vietnamese Communist Party within the new context; and the research and proposition of directions to uphold the Party’s ideological foundation, to combat and refute false and antagonistic perspectives in the domains of ideology, theory, literature, art, etc.

Fourthly, the Academy’s distinctiveness is shown in the transfer and application of its research results.

Unlike engineering and technological sciences, the deployment of transferring and applying the research results in the fields of humanities and social sciences, particularly political theory science, often entails a time lag in assessing their impact on various aspects of social life.

In engineering and technological sciences, the effects of research findings become apparent shortly after implementation, and in some cases, immediately after application. However, the application of political theory research results requires a longer period for assessing their influences on socio-political life; in some cases, it may take five to ten years or even longer for some arguments’ impacts to be fully realized. Hence, in the process of evaluation, acceptance testing, as well as the transfer and application of research results, a tailored and appropriate mechanism is necessary.

On the other hand, the publication of international (socialized) scientific articles within certain branches of political theory, such as the History of the Communist Party of Vietnam, building Party and State Government, Scientific Socialism, and Ho Chi Minh Thought, encounters numerous challenges.

Fifthly, the Academy’s scientific research activities serve a dual purpose: directly providing scientific arguments to inform the planning of the Party’s guidelines and policies and the State’s policies and laws, while also directly serving the Academy’s work of cadre training and fostering.

Up until now, prominent research projects conducted by the Academy have notably contributed to shaping the Party’s and State’s guidelines and policies. These include the Project on Researching, Summarizing, and Clarifying Some Theoretical Issues of the Vietnamese Reform (Doi Moi) Path towards Socialism; the Program on Researching Scientific Arguments for Ensuring the Stability and Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Political Regime; the Project on Breakthrough Solutions for Implementing the Six Key Missions outlined in the 12th National Party Congress; and the Project on Solutions for Executing the Six Key Missions defined in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, among others. The significant contributions of these studies encompass: (i) Providing the theoretical and practical foundation for the development of documents of the 12th and 13th National Party Congresses and the resolutions of the 11th, 12th, and 13th Central Committees. (ii) Providing scientific arguments and addressing pressing theoretical and practical issues about building the ruling Party and a law-ruled socialist State in Vietnam; (iii) Studying and summarizing the national construction Platform in the transitional period towards socialism and the Socio-Economic Development Strategy for the 2011-2020 period. (iv) Supplementing and perfecting national development policies in all fields, including the economy, politics, culture, society, public security, national defense, ethnicity, religion, and foreign affairs. (v) Analyzing, evaluating, and elucidating issues arising during policy implementation, thereby offering policy recommendations to the Party, State, central and local departments, ministries, and branches.

Furthermore, the Academy’s scientific research activities play a direct role in facilitating cadre training and fostering, particularly for leadership and management roles, political theory science of the Party and State, and socio-political unions. These activities also positively contribute to innovating teaching and learning methods, enhancing the quality of training and nurturing, improving the caliber of lecturer contingents, and reforming the organization and management of cadre training and nurturing activities, extending beyond the Academy to political institutions in central provinces and cities.

Sixthly, the Academy’s distinctiveness is demonstrated through its financial management of scientific research endeavors.

The Academy is an agency affiliated with the Central Committee of the Party, operating under the direct, comprehensive, and regular leadership and direction of the Politburo and the Secretariat. Therefore, during the implementation of political duties, the Academy has been entrusted with many significant scientific research tasks by the Politburo and the Secretariat, including the National Scientific Research Program KX.02/16-20: “Research, synthesis, proposal of complements, and development of Marxism - Leninism, a vital element of the ideological bedrock of the Vietnamese Communist Party within the new context;” the selection, translation, and publication of President Ho Chi Minh’s pivotal works from Vietnamese into foreign languages, etc. Furthermore, the Academy is also tasked with unanticipated scientific assignments that fall outside the scope of the annual state budget allocated for the Academy’s scientific and technological responsibilities. These unexpected tasks often demand rapid execution. However, utilizing the annual funding to outsource experts and scientists for specific task components or conducting seminars and workshops to gather expert insights may not be feasible within the designated timeframe. Waiting until the subsequent year to secure additional funding is likewise impractical. Hence, it becomes imperative to establish a specialized mechanism for augmenting funding specifically designated for scientific tasks assigned to the Academy by the Politburo and the Secretariat, ensuring timely and effective task implementation.

2. Requirements raised for the financial mechanism serving scientific research at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

The Academy holds the status of a level 1 financial unit. Its financial management activities are mandated to adhere to current legal provisions on financial management, encompassing the Law on State Budget, the Law on Accounting and Auditing, and other regulations set forth by competent authorities. However, due to its distinctive nature in scientific research, the Academy needs a specialized financial mechanism, crucial to facilitating the effective fulfillment of its assigned tasks.

Firstly, the Academy needs a specialized financial mechanism for the duties of studying and clarifying the theoretical values of Marxism - Leninism. In the process of executing these responsibilities, many research materials lack original documents and predominantly comprise translations and publications previously disseminated by the Soviet Union in the past. Yet, the conditions and contexts have evolved significantly from the era when the classic of Marxists - Leninists penned these works. To dissect the scientific importance and values of these writings pertaining to Marxism - Leninism, which form the bedrock for “researching, formulating, and advancing the theoretical framework of socialism and Vietnam’s pathway to socialism in the new era”⁽¹⁾, there arises an imperative for an adept scientific workforce that is knowledgeable both in scientific disciplines and proficient in foreign languages, ect. in order to clarify viewpoints and ideas that endure validity, identify notions that have been surpassed by practice, as well as previous viewpoints and ideas that may be incorrect.

This significant and formidable undertaking demands a protracted trajectory and obliges participants to possess exceptional capabilities, extensive experience, and fluency in foreign languages, particularly German, English, Russian, and French. Consequently, the allocation of funds for compensating and engaging experts and scholars cannot be executed in the customary manner of ordinary scientific tasks; instead, it necessitates the establishment of distinct mechanisms or regulations. Only through this avenue can the Academy rally a substantial contingent of esteemed, adept scholars and preeminent experts to contribute to pivotal tasks that pertain not only to the Academy but also to the broader endeavors of the Party and the State.

Secondly,the Academy needs a specialized financial mechanism for scientific research tasks that directly underpins the theoretical and practical foundation for shaping the Party’s guidelines and policies, as well as the laws and regulations of the State. Examples of such tasks include “Researching Scientific Arguments for Ensuring the Stability and Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Political Regime”, “Breakthrough Solutions for Effectively Implementing the Six Key Missions outlined in the 12th National Party Congress”, “Studying and Proposing Directions to Uphold the Party’s Ideological Foundation and to Combat and Counteract False and Hostile Perspectives in the Domains of Ideology, Theory, Literature, and Art”, “Solutions for Executing the Six Key Missions Defined in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress”, among others. These undertakings place significant demands on the political and scientific attributes of the research outcomes. Therefore, the execution process necessitates the mobilization of a contingent of leading and knowledgeable experts spanning both specialized domains and other social fields. To garner the contributions of this expert workforce, a commensurate allocation of funds (in the form of remuneration) becomes imperative; conventional funding levels are inadequate for these purposes.

Thirdly, the Academy requires a specialized financial mechanism for tasks assigned by the Politburo and the Secretariat, such as the program involving the collection and study of biographies of senior and exemplary leaders. Due to the covert nature of many comrades’ activities during the colonial and imperial occupation, archival materials are exceedingly scarce. To accomplish these endeavors, researchers need ample time, considerable effort, unwavering perseverance, and a strong commitment to conducting research with a profound sense of responsibility. This involves delving into Party and State archives, foreign resources, as well as archives held by puppet colonial and imperial governments, and so on. Hence, sufficient funds must be available to support these activities in a proportionate and suitable manner.

Fourthly, the Academy requires a specialized financial mechanism for research tasks aimed at elucidating the theoretical essence of Ho Chi Minh Thought. Among these tasks is affirming the invaluable spiritual heritage of Ho Chi Minh Thought for both the Party and our nation, serving as a guiding compass for all activities undertaken by both entities. Additionally, these tasks involve clarifying the ideological and theoretical roots of Ho Chi Minh Thought, which encompass Marxism - Leninism, the traditional cultural values of our nation, and the quintessence of human culture. They also encompass defining the most fundamental and core tenets of Ho Chi Minh Thought, clarifying and emphasizing the enduring value and immortality of Ho Chi Minh Thought and proposing strategies to apply the ideological legacy that President Ho Chi Minh bequeathed to our nation in the current pursuit of national construction and development.

To excel in this endeavor in the coming time, the Academy shall mobilize and assemble a large contingent of scientists and researchers who possess a profound understanding of President Ho Chi Minh’s life, background, and career. In other words, this undertaking necessitates the establishment of an appropriate funding mechanism, ensuring that the dedication and expertise of the participating scientists and research experts are justly compensated.

Fifthly, the Academy needs a specialized financial mechanism for the task of studying and building arguments to protect the Party’s ideological foundation and fight against false and hostile views. Recently, the Academy has been entrusted by the Politburo and the Secretariat to undertake the following endeavor: “Studying and Proposing Directions to Uphold the Party’s Ideological Foundation and to Combat and Counteract False and Hostile Viewpoints in the Fields of Ideology, Theory, Literature, and Art”. This extensive undertaking comprises ten distinct sub-projects. Furthermore, after the success of the Scientific Essay Contest titled “Safeguarding the Party’s Ideological Foundation and Combating False and Hostile Viewpoints in the New Situation”, organized by the Academy, the Secretariat has endorsed an expansion of the competition’s scope, designating the Academy as the lead agency and Central Steering Committee No. 35 as the directive agency for this national initiative. Undoubtedly, this represents a significant, recurrent, continuous, and long-term commitment, demanding the assembly of proficient, qualified, and practically experienced scientists. Simultaneously, a fitting financial resource and a suitable payment framework for research activities are essential components of this undertaking.

Sixthly, the Academy requires a specialized financial mechanism for collaborative research activities with allied parties, particularly the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, in supporting the study of Kaysone Phomvihane’s biography, Kaysone Phomvihane’s Thought, the translation of “Ho Chi Minh: Full Episode” into Lao, the research, selection, and publication of Ho Chi Minh’s anthology, and the translation of President Ho Chi Minh’s significant works from Vietnamese into multiple foreign languages (English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Chinese) to introduce them to the global audience. These substantial undertakings unfold over extended timeframes, engaging a contingent of leading experts. Therefore, the appropriate allocation and remuneration of funds for these experts are paramount to promoting their intellectual power in research activities.

Seventhly, the Academy necessitates a specialized financial mechanism to streamline administrative formalities in the financial management and settlement of scientific research tasks, tailored to the Academy’s distinctive scientific research activities and current legal stipulations.

The Academy’s scientific research endeavors exhibit distinctive traits when juxtaposed with other research centers and institutes. Based on these specific peculiarities, the Academy’s scientific research initiatives require their own managerial mechanisms and policies, particularly an apt financial and resource management mechanism, to effectively fulfill the assigned tasks n

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Received: April 27, Revised: May 14, 2023; Approved for publication: May 22, 2023.

Endnotes:

1. The Secretariat: Directive No. 23-CT/TW dated February 9, 2018, on continuing to innovate and improve the quality and effectiveness of studying, researching, applying, and developing Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought in the new situation, Hanoi, 2018, p.3.