ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews two bodies of literature. The overarching purpose is to examine their impacts on learning and capacity building, taking stock of Vietnam’s unique political and economic context. First, it critiques the scholarship on how states (especially developing ones) can negotiate and interact with transnational corporations to stimulate their economies. Of particular relevance is the obligated embeddedness framework. Second, it reviews the literature on state structure and policymaking process, benchmarking Vietnam’s against those of East Asia’s earlier group of latecomer economies. Three models – Japan and Korea’s super-ministry model, Thailand’s central coordination model, and Malaysia’s multiple-layer model – shall be elaborated upon and discussed.
