Multidimensionality of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) - exploring concepts and effects in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe
Date
2019-11-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
Strategic objectives in public procurement, such as environmental or social considerations,
are being increasingly referred to under the umbrella term of sustainable public procurement (SPP).
The concept of sustainability is intrinsically multidimensional, encompassing environmental, social,
and economic aspects. However, the existing literature on SPP highlights the generalization that
the regulation and practices of public procurement are biased toward the environmental dimension.
There is conflicting evidence from countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that calls for further
investigation. Analyzing how SPP is actually constituted in SSA and contrasting it with the situation
in the European Union (EU), as a spotlight on the Global South and North, contributes to a better
understanding of sustainability in public procurement. The comparative analysis will help with
understanding processes related to the integration or disintegration of sustainability dimensions
in SPP. Our results indicate a contrary orientation on the environmental and the social dimensions
in the EU and SSA. Although there is no sign of a comprehensive integration of all dimensions in
SPP, there are developments toward the integration of the ‘missing’ dimension in the respective
regional setting. Thus, at the moment, achieving a multidimensional implementation of SPP appears
to be more a matter of expanding SPP practices of the ‘missing’ dimension than of pushing for
integrated concepts.
Description
CITATION: Stoffel, Tim et al. 2019. Multidimensionality of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) - exploring concepts and effects in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. Sustainability, 11(22): 6352, doi:10.3390/su11226352
The original publication is available at: https://www.mdpi.com
The original publication is available at: https://www.mdpi.com
Keywords
Government purchasing -- Sustainable, Socioecological transformation, Socially responsible public procurement (SRPP), Green public procurement (GPP), Sustainable development, Multidimensional sustainability, Sustainable supply chains
Citation
Stoffel, Tim et al. 2019. Multidimensionality of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) - exploring concepts and effects in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. Sustainability, 11(22): 6352, doi:10.3390/su11226352