ART - Book Review - Advancing Public Procurement 2007

The document is a book review of "Advancing Public Procurement: Practices, Innovation and Knowledge-Sharing" edited by Gustavo Piga and Khi V. Thai. The book is a collection of papers presented at the Second International Public Procurement Conference in Rome in 2006. The review highlights that the book offers insightful analyses that contribute to the research agenda for public procurement on an international level. The chapters cover various countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Estonia, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Canada, Brazil, Uganda, the European Union, and the United States. The review identifies several underlying themes in the book, including cooperative and partnership arrangements, the theory and practice of public procurement, public policy implications of procurement, and the evaluation of procurement practices. The review also provides a summary of specific chapters that focus on cooperative procurement, relationships between public agencies and private suppliers, and the reform, regulation, and ethical issues in public procurement. The book employs a principal-agent theoretical approach that supports the need for control and regulation since procurement officials have much discretion in their decision-making. Overall, the review suggests that the book offers valuable insights and calls for further research in the field of public procurement.