Open and Sustainable Procurement

Adam, I., Fazekas, M. and Zellmann, C. (2021). Open and sustainable procurement. Towards deepened collaboration between reformers. GTI-WP/2021:01, Budapest: Government Transparency Institute.

Public procurement as a major area of government spending has the potential to act as a driver for social change and sustainable development. Its strategic use has recently gained traction with two related policy movements emerging: sustainable public procurement (SPP) and open contracting (OC). This paper explores paths towards a deepened collaboration between open and sustainable procurement advocates …

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Regional Public Spending Quality Index, EU

This publication contains the data used in the publication:

Fazekas, M., Czibik, Á. (2021). Measuring Regional Quality of Government: The Public Spending Quality Index Based on Government Contracting Data. Regional Studies. Available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2021.1902975

Abstract

Government contracting is crucial for defining quality of government and public services as it amounts to about 29% of government spending. However, regional quality of government indicators, especially for public spending, are largely missing. We assess quality of public spending by transparency, competition, efficiency and …

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Emergency Procurement: The Role of Big Open Data

Fazekas, Mihály, and Sánchez, Alfredo H Hernandez (2021) Emergency Procurement: The Role of Big Open Data. In S. Arrowsmith, L. Butler, A. L. Chimia and C. Yukins (eds.) Public Procurement in (a) Crisis: global lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Hart Publishing. Chapter 23.

The 2020 Global Pandemic has been a watershed moment for the world economy on a scale unseen since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. The COVID-19 crisis has demanded rapid government responses around the world, from the re-erection …

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Policy Brief on State Capture and Defence Procurement in the EU

Czibik, Á., Fazekas, M., Hernandez Sanchez, A. and Wachs, J. (2020). State Capture and Defence Procurement in the EU. GTI-R/2020:03, Budapest: Government Transparency Institute.

This paper is part of a broader research project which aims to assess state capture risks in the field of defence procurement using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to overcome research challenges typical of this area, most of all the relatively low level of transparency due to specific procurement regulations.

Public procurement is one …

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Partisan Procurement. Contracting with the United States Federal Government

Dahlström, C., Fazekas, M, & Lewis, D. E., (2020), Partisan Procurement. Contracting with the United States Federal Government, 2003–2015, American Journal of Political Science. Available online: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ajps.12574

The U.S. federal government spends huge sums buying goods and services from outside of the public sector. Given the sums involved, strategic government purchasing can have electoral consequences. In this article, we suggest that more politicized agencies show favoritism to businesses in key electoral constituencies and to firms connected to political parties. We …

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Defence Elvis Visualization Tool

Defence Elvis

Defence Elvis is a network visualization tool for defence procurement contracts.

This visualization tool works with defence procurement data from all 28 EU countries. Data is visualized into a node network graph with possible restrictions to specific countries, years, tender suppliers and government institutions.

It is built on Elvis, the online tool which visualizes public spending as interactive network graphs. We added extra features and data to make it more effective in analysing the defence sector, where transparency …

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Quantifying the Effects of Corruption on the Water and Sanitation Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean

Adam, I., Fazekas, M., Regös, N. and Tóth, B. (2020). Quantifying the Effects of Corruption on the Water and Sanitation Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. Technocal Note No IDB-TN-02055. Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC.

The importance of transparency and governance as determinants of efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of service undoubtedly occupy a key place among the most relevant lessons learned from the reforms implemented in the Water and Sanitation sector (W&S) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) …

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Modelling Reform Strategies for Open Contracting in Low and Middle Income Countries

Adam, I., Dávid Barrett, E., and Fazekas, M. (2020). Modelling Reform Strategies for Open Contracting in Low and Middle Income Countries. Transparency International, London, UK.

This report aims to evaluate the effectiveness and fit of open contracting reforms to LMIC contexts and to provide recommendations on how and when countries should pursue open contracting reforms. This objective was broken down into the following questions on reform outcomes and reform drivers.

  • How advanced and comprehensive is the legal framework for open
…

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State Capture and Defence Procurement in the EU

Czibik, Á., Fazekas, M., Hernandez Sanchez, A. and Wachs, J. (2020). State Capture and Defence Procurement in the EU. GTI-WP/2020:05, Budapest: Government Transparency Institute.

This paper is part of a broader research project which aims to assess state capture risks in the field of defence procurement using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to overcome research challenges typical of this area, most of all the relatively low level of transparency due to specific procurement regulations. In this paper, we …

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Controlling Corruption in Development Aid: New Evidence from Contract-Level Data

Dávid-Barrett, E., Fazekas, M., Hellmann, O., Márk, L. and McCorley, C. (2020). Controlling Corruption in Development Aid: New Evidence from Contract-Level Data. Studies in Comparative International Development.

Following scandals about corruption in foreign aid, and in a political climate that increasingly questions the legitimacy of development assistance, donors are under pressure to better control how their funds are spent. However, there is little evidence on precisely how to control corruption in development aid. This article assesses under which conditions donor …

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