How Can Procurement Create (Sustainable) Public Value Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal?

The economic response of the US government to the COVID-19 pandemic envisions massive investment in infrastructure construction. Yet, governments contract out public works and might lack the capacity to meet the increased demand for new construction. Drawing on a mix of survey and interview data, we identify critical deficiencies in contract capacity that might lead to a loss of public resources and further erode trust in the government. We propose a plan for restructuring public procurement systems and offer solutions around four foci: collaboration, training, flexibility, and sustainability. This transformation path would enhance government contract capacity and use markets to signal a demand for sustainable infrastructure and create public value in line with the strategic objectives of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal

Determinants of Local Government Innovation: The Case of Green Public Procurement in the United States

Purpose – Green public procurement (GPP) may be a viable solution and an innovative policy tool for public managers to address complex environmental issues facing communities globally. Given their substantial purchasing power, local GPP initiatives and success can accelerate a transition toward a more sustainable society through governments’ influence over the private sector. The study’s central research question is: What are the factors associated with US local governments’ engagement with GPP practices? Design/methodology/approach – This research applies the Mohr’s (1969) model of motivations, obstacles and resources (MOR) and draws on original, comprehensive and national survey data collected in collaboration with NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement to explain adoption of GPP as an innovative policy tool. To ensure the robustness of the findings, the data are analysed by running two types of regression – ordinal logistic and negative binomial – using two different operationalizations for the dependent variable, a GPP scale (ordinal) and a GPP scorecard (count). Findings – The decision surrounding GPP adoption is ultimately driven by organizations’ strategic visions, organizations’ familiarity with the GPP concept and practices, and mandates from the federal government through funding mechanisms. Originality/value – This study offers guidance to both academic researchers and policymakers in public management and public budgeting and finance on strategies and policy options to expand GPP adoption and utilization

Understanding the Factors Determining Green Public Procurement Practices Among Local Governments in the United States

One of the wicked problems communities face worldwide is climate change. Among potential solutions and current efforts is green public procurement (GPP), an innovative policy approach to change business as usual in the governmental sector. Local governments in the U.S. annually spend approximately $1.72 trillion on purchasing goods and services. Given substantial purchasing power of municipalities, GPP practices at the local level can incite a transition toward a more sustainable society. This study is the first to delineate the levels and variations of existing GPP practices among U.S. localities and examine the factors that facilitate or hinder GPP engagement. Collaborative governance has been advanced as an approach to overcome barriers that arise from fragmentation of authority at the local level. Prior research suggests that collaboration leads to economies of scale, a more agile procurement process, and enhanced capacity. However, we know little about its impact on GPP practices. Drawing on Feiock’s (2013) Institutional Collective Action framework and resource exchange theory, this research also analyzes the impact of collaboration on GPP utilization. I triangulate data from an innovative national survey, conducted in collaboration with the Institute for Public Procurement (NIGP), and multiple case studies. Research evidence shows that a strategic vision, pressures from the federal government, and familiarity with GPP practices motivate U.S. local governments to engage in GPP. Surprisingly, local governments’ use of GPP practices is hindered by availability of green suppliers. I also find that collaborative governance could indirectly enhance GPP implementation. The findings of this dissertation contribute to the advancement of theory and provide actionable recommendations for practice, as well as avenues for future research

Idaho FY22: Recommendations, Appropriations, and Partisanship

This paper presents an overview of the State of Idaho’s FY 2022 budget recommendations and appropriations in the context of demographic changes, economic conditions, and politics. The Executive Budget for FY 2022 notes Governor Little’s historical support of education, job growth, economic opportunity, and fostering an environment for Idaho to avoid citizen migration to other states. However, this policy, along with the COVID-19 exodus, has resulted in a large influx of people from other states with the commensurate housing and infrastructure demands. As most Idaho budgets tend to move incrementally in support of education and infrastructure in the context of very healthy revenues, the state is likely to weather, though with some ambivalence, economic fluctuations. However, partisan tensions threaten education and safety net programming

The Trump Administration Feuded with State and Local Leaders Over Pandemic Response – Now the Biden Administration is Trying to Turn Back a Page in History

As the U.S. recovers from the pandemic, the Biden administration is working to rebuild relationships across levels of government, from the top to the bottom, that were strained during the presidency of Donald Trump. In November 2020, Biden offered urban leaders a seat at the table in coronavirus recovery efforts, promising to avoid partisanship. Addressing the National League of Cities in March 2021, Harris praised urban leadership on COVID-19 – cities like Seattle and New York were among the first to respond to the pandemic, developing testing protocols, tracking new infections and supplying equipment for hospitals – and highlighted the administration’s plans to help pay for improvements to local infrastructure. The COVID-19 crisis highlighted the importance of government leaders working together

Community Social Capital, Political Values, or Organizational Capacity?: Indicators of Engagement in Sustainable Public Procurement at the Local Level

Local governments are responsible for addressing environmental, social, and economic issues affecting their communities. Sustainable public procurement (SPP) offers a mechanism for local governments to address such issues by strategically utilizing government funds to efficiently and effectively achieve policy outcomes while also promoting the wellbeing of the environment, economy, and society. While sustainability has become an increasingly popular approach among governmental actors and the general public, the factors driving local governments’ sustainability efforts are largely unclear. This study introduces novel measures of SPP (i.e., Green Procurement Index and Social Equity Index) and utilizes Poisson regressions to analyze procurement practices of 264 local governments to determine how community social capital, political values, and organizational capacity affect local government SPP implementation. Findings demonstrate that support from executive leadership and political ideology are significant predictors in two models of SPP. However, there are other factors present in the operating environment that impact green and social equity procurement differently. This research has implications for social capital theory and for local government sustainability efforts demonstrating the importance of organizational commitment and different factors in the community to address green and social equity spheres of sustainability

The Nexus Between Gender Diversity and Research Performance: The Case of Public Procurement

Although the nexus between performance and gender diversity has been widely researched in different contexts, we know little about the role gender diversity in co-authoring procurement research plays on research productivity. Using diversity performance literature as a theoretical backdrop and drawing on data from articles published in three procurement journals, the study runs negative binomial regressions. This study has implications for academic institutions and research team’s performance with the results demonstrating that gender diversity has trivial impact on research performance and that the publication outlet is a significant predictor of research performance

Democracy, Complexity, and Science: Exploring Structural Sources of National Scientific Performance

Scholars have long hypothesized that democratic forms of government are more compatible with scientific advancement. However, empirical analysis testing the democracy–science compatibility hypothesis remains underdeveloped. This article explores the effect of democratic governance on scientific performance using panel data on 124 countries between 2007–2017. We find evidence supporting the democracy–science hypothesis. Further, using both internal and external measures of complexity, we estimate the effects of complexity as a moderating factor between the democracy–science connection. The results show differential main effects of economic complexity, globalization, and international collaboration on scientific performance, as well as significant interaction effects that moderate the effect of democracy on scientific performance. The findings show the significance of democratic governance and complex systems in national scientific performance