Drivers of Economic Growth, Inequality, and Poverty Among Provinces in Vietnam
This book offers a comprehensive and empirically grounded examination of Vietnam’s rapid yet uneven economic and social development, highlighting patterns of club convergence among provinces and the persistent challenges faced by lagging regions. It explores the influential factors constraining catch-up progress, such as heterogeneous infrastructure, geographic and resource disparities, planning and policy limitations, and exogenous shocks. Critical resources such as educated labor and infrastructure are shown to shape investor decisions and long-term development trajectories.
This edited volume fills a significant research gap by presenting empirical studies on comparative economic and social development and performance evaluation at provincial, regional, and sectoral levels. The contributions provide high-quality, in-depth scholarly perspectives on Vietnam’s economy during a period of profound transitions, environmental, energy, technological, and educational. Readers will gain a deeper appreciation of the complexities surrounding Vietnam’s development and its regional and international relations.
Almas Heshmati is Visiting Professor of Economics at University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Previously he held Professor of Economics positions at Jönköping University, Sogang University, Korea University, Seoul National University, University of Kurdistan Hawler, and the MTT Agrifood Research (Finland). He was Research Fellow at the World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER), The United Nations University during 2001-2004. From 1998 until 2001, he was an Associate Professor of Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics. He has a Ph.D. degree from the University of Gothenburg (1994), where he held a Senior Researcher position until 1998. His research interests include applied microeconomics, globalization, efficiency, productivity and growth with application to manufacturing and services, environmental economics and well-being. In addition to more than 200 scientific journal articles he has published more than 30 books on EU Lisbon Process, Global Inequality, East Asian Manufacturing, Chinese Economy, Technology Transfer, Information Technology, Water Resources, Landmines, Power Generation, Renewable Energy, Development Economics, World Values, Poverty, well-being, Economic Growth, and Vietnam’s economy. He is editor of several book series and economic journals.
