Corruption risks in public procurement

Read about research in the area of corruption risks in public procurement.

About the project

Liz David-Barrett’s research on corruption risks in public procurement has helped international donors, national governments and civil society organisations to monitor corruption risks in public procurement and made public spending – both international aid and budget spending – more efficient and accountable. 

The team engaged with donors throughout the research, e.g., presenting the method and findings at internal workshops with the FCDO (formerly DFID) and the World Bank to inform their own practices and rules about disbursing aid and monitoring procurement; and provide evidence to support their advocacy work with national governments to help them collect and publish better quality procurement data and introduce better monitoring systems.

The research helped the World Bank develop a conceptual framework for the analysis of risk in Bank-financed procurement and provided a platform for the Bank to discuss corruption risks with government counterparts with a view to developing policy solutions to address favoritism or collusion in markets, or conflicts of interest in the award of contracts.

The research team has worked with the Integrity Commission of Jamaica and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authorty in Uganda to develop interactive portals which allow regulators to analyse their own procurement data, helping them to spot systemic corruption risks as well as high-risk individual transactions, informing policy change and investigation of cases. Liz also worked with the African Maths Initiative to organise workshops for Maths students, civil society activists and researchers in Tanzania, Ghana and Uganda, showcasing the research as a practical application of statistical analysis and helping to raise awareness about the importance of evidence in policy-making.