P16 Corruption, bureaucratic structure, and public procurement

Corresponding chair

Eva Thomann, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Konstanz, eva.thomann@uni-konstanz.de

Review group chair 

Mihaly Fazekas, Department of Public Policy, Central European University, FazekasM@ceu.edu

Description

This panel explores the role of bureaucracy and public management in (anti)corruption, with a particular focus on public procurement. Public procurement accounts for about one third of government spending. It is an area particularly prone to corruption, as it entails direct public-private interactions and a great degree of official discretion. Corruption in public procurement is typically perpetrated by high-level, powerful and well-organized actors. How does bureaucratic structure and agency independence contribute to corruption control? What is the interplay between political and bureaucratic actors in containing corruption? What kind of institutional arrangements and management practices trigger or prevent corruption? How can the bureaucratic determinants of corruption be measured, quantified, and assessed—during crises, in public procurement, and beyond? The panel will entail a mix of paper presentations followed by feedback from a dedicated discussant, plenary discussion and Q&A.

Call for abstracts

This panel explores the role of bureaucracy and public management in (anti)corruption, with a particular focus on public procurement: how does bureaucratic structure and agency independence contribute to corruption control? What is the interplay between political and bureaucratic actors in containing corruption? What kind of institutional arrangements and management practices trigger or prevent corruption? How can the bureaucratic determinants of corruption in public procurement be measured, quantified, and assessed —during crises, in public procurement, and beyond? The panel invites both conceptual, empirical, and methodological papers from both junior and more senior researchers coming from an interdisciplinary audience that make a clear and innovative contribution to the following and related topics:

-          Corruption, in public procurement or other areas of public spending

-          Determinants of corruption

-          Corruption prevention and enforcement

-          Civil service meritocracy and bureaucratic independence

-          Methodological challenges in researching corruption

Paper proposals should be no more than 1 page, and clearly spell out the problem and research question that are addressed, the methods and data used (where applicable), and the key contribution that it makes to the panel topic.

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