The Institutional Design of Public Procurement Systems as a Factor in the Fight against Corruption

This work aims to contribute to the academic discussion on the role of political and institutional factors that structure the design of public procurement systems to avoid corrupt or fraudulent behavior. From a theoretical and methodological perspective, it will be studied how institutional analysis can facilitate the identification and understanding of the relevant factors for the good design and administration of public procurement systems. The development of a regulatory system is modulated by its institutional matrix, which structures relations between public and private actors. Some institutional variables of this regulatory system (its decision making system, its control mechanisms, the required transparency, the organizational resources, and the technical capacity of government action) have a direct impact on the management of contracting systems. The article analyzes these organizational and institutional variables and their impact on public procurement systems. First, the institutional and organizational factors which may potentially undermine the efficiency and effectiveness of public procurement systems are determined. Second, the document presents a methodological model, quantitative and qualitative, to support this type of analysis.