Regulation of Government Procurement within the WTO

Procurement policies creating barriers to international trade and facing only limited coverage in the World Trade Organization. Despite effective international binding rules in other trade areas, efforts in this sector have not succeeded to reach a multilateral agreement on governmental procurement. The author critically examines the prospects of multilateral regulation in reference to the "plurilateral" WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) while focusing on improved transparency rules which may contribute to a first broad opening of international procurement markets. Interdisciplinary approaches from a point of view of economic theory and international relations theory provide the basis for the sound research. The book offers first an overview of the procurement related economic impact analyzing discriminatory practices, rent seeking and non-transparency and second examines the achievements of cooperative behavior and prospects of a transparency regime in government procurement facilitating international competition. This book provides a unique interdisciplinary blend of analysis, a source for scholars, graduate students, economists and procurement practitioners.