Full Description
'Corruption' in public procurement typically involves procurement decisions taken in favour of preferred bidders in exchange for improper compensation (the acceptance of bribes, for example), while supplier collusion refers to a type of cartel activity, in which firms rig their bids in a tendering process. Although these practices are distinct, they frequently occur together in the public procurement context, reinforcing one another. Combatting Corruption and Collusion in Public Procurement: A Challenge for Governments Worldwide examines the causes of corruption and collusion in the public procurement sphere, its resulting harm, and how states can best try to combat these practices.
This book provides a legal, economic, and practical analysis of issues concerning corruption and supplier collusion in public procurement, both generally and in seven diverse and representative jurisdictions: the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Hungary and Poland, Ukraine, and Canada. It encompasses a discussion of both 'generic' cross-jurisdictional issues and specific proposals for individual jurisdictions. It offers practical guidance on building robust regimes for combatting corruption and collusion in public procurement and how to bolster and improve them when they are faltering. The book stresses the need for a multi-faceted and joined-up approach to the problems, emphasizing the importance both of enhanced investment in the effective enforcement of anti-corruption and cartel laws and of increasing the resilience of public procurement systems to corruption and collusion through a range of measures. The relevance of the topic to the social and economic well-being of citizens and the survival of democratic governance is highlighted throughout the book.
Pioneering and comprehensive, Combatting Corruption and Collusion in Public Procurement provides a pathbreaking analysis of a range of global issues, making it an essential read for scholars, lawyers, government officials and representatives of international and non-governmental organizations around the world.
Contents
1: Introduction and Overview
2: Corruption and Collusion in Public Procurement: Opportunities, Incentives, and Harm Caused
3: Basic Elements for Combatting Corruption and Collusion in Public Procurement: Well-Constructed Procurement, Competition, and Anti-Corruption Regimes
4: Towards a More Comprehensive Approach: Strengthening Anti-Corruption and Anti-Collusion Systems, Dealing with Systemic Corruption and The Contribution of Multi-Level Governance
5: Corruption and Supplier Collusion under the Waterline? Combatting Risks to Public Procurement in the United Kingdom
6: Persistent Corruption and Supplier Collusion in an Advanced Industrialized Country: The Case of the United States
7: Brazil: Lessons from Operation Car Wash
8: Addressing Democratic Backsliding and Increasing Corruption and Supplier Collusion Risks in Hungary and Poland: The Impact of EU Membership
9: Ukraine's Ongoing Fight Against Corruption and Supplier Collusion in Public Procurement: Relation to the Country's Broader Existential Struggle
10: Persistent Corruption and Supplier Collusion in Public Procurement in a (Generally) Well-Governed Country: The Case of Canada
11: Conclusion
