A Short-Term Effect of a Better Work Programme on Firms’ Performance: Evidence from Vietnam

This paper provides preliminary evidence on the impact of the Better Work programme on firm performance in Vietnam. We construct a panel data using the Vietnam Enterprise Censuses for the years 2009 and 2011. Using firm fixed-effect regressions, we find that the factories enrolled in the Better Work programme tend to be larger, pay higher wages for workers, and employ more capital compared to other factories. However, we do not find that significant effects of the Better Work programme on factories’ sale and profit.