Strategic management of the health workforce in developing countries: what have we learned?

Table 1 Sub-national influence in human resource management in East Asia

Domain	Cambodia	China	Indonesia	Philippines	Thailand	Vietnam
Budget control
• Determine the wage envelope	*	*	*	**	*	*
• Dismiss surplus staff		**	**	***		*
Establishment control
• Control overall staffing numbers	*	**	*	**	*	*
• Control staffing numbers in individual facilities		**	**	***		**
Recruitment
• Formal employer	***	***	*	***	**	*
• Have authority to hire	**	***	**	***	*	***
• Have independent recruitment mechanism	*	**	**	*	*	*
Career management
• Promotion is available	*	**	**	***	*	*
• Transfers within local government are possible	*	*	***	***	*	**
Performance management
• Direct and supervise activities	***	***	**	***	***	***
• Conduct evaluations	*	***	**	***	*	*
• Offer financial rewards	*	*	**	**	*	**
• Discipline and fire underperforming staff	*	*	**	**	*	**
Pay policy
• Set overall wage rates	*	*	*	*	*	*
• Set local incentives/salary top-ups	**	***	**	***	*	**

*** = full; ** = partial; * = no subnational control, focusing on the strongest subnational level of government for each country. Data underlying the assessment range from 2000 – 2005.
Source: adapted from table 7.3 in [26] supplemented by author's estimates for Vietnam.

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