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The document identifies a crisis in South African public procurement characterized by political interference, capacity deficits, and a fragmented legal regime. It proposes seven key reforms, including the creation of a single public procurement statute, the establishment of an insulated regulatory authority, and the introduction of 'qui tam' provisions to allow private citizens to enforce procurement law for a share of the recoveries.

The research examines the systemic nature of corruption and rent-seeking in South African metropolitan municipalities. It contrasts two distinct governance models: Cape Town's 'growth machine,' which leverages land rights and property development for established interests, and Nelson Mandela Bay's 'clientelist' regime, which relies on procurement and personnel rents to sustain patronage networks. The author argues that while growth machines may produce better overall development outcomes, neither model effectively serves the urban poor.

The author comments on PARI's position papers regarding state reform in South Africa, arguing that public procurement should be used as a tool for industrial policy and economic transformation. The text distinguishes between 'developmental' procurement, which fosters high-productivity industries and innovation, and 'non-developmental' procurement, which often results in the outsourcing of state services to dependent firms. The author suggests that while South Africa has used procurement to support black business growth, there is an urgent need to transition toward 'Procurement for Innovation' (PPfI) to drive structural transformation and reduce the influence of state-dependent coalitions associated with 'state capture'.

The briefing details extensive administrative failures by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in managing EMFF funds between 2014 and 2017. Key issues include the wrongful granting of funds to fishers who committed serious infringements of the Common Fisheries Policy, incorrect application of support rates, and failure to prevent fraud and conflicts of interest. The document calls for all EU Member States to conduct national audits of EMFF management to ensure conditionality and admissibility rules are respected.

The authors examine South Africa's transition toward a 'contract state' and the subsequent failures of its public procurement regulatory regime. They highlight that while the state has moved toward a centrally steered but decentralised form, limited central steering capacity has resulted in a fragmented system prone to corruption. The paper discusses a 2013 reform initiative by the Minister of Finance intended to establish a centre-led, strategic, and developmental procurement methodology to address these systemic deficits.

The People's Tribunal on Economic Crime recommends urgent investigations and prosecutions into three areas of economic crime in South Africa: apartheid-era UN sanctions violations, the 1999 Arms Deal, and state capture. The Tribunal argues that sanctions-busting during apartheid aided crimes against humanity and created a culture of corruption that enabled the 1999 Arms Deal and subsequent state capture. Key recommendations include establishing a special prosecutorial team within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to investigate entities like Kredietbank and the French government, and creating a specialised commission and tribunal for crimes against humanity.

The document argues that South Africa's wage inequality is among the highest globally and cannot be solved by voluntarism alone. It proposes strengthening Section 27 of the Employment Equity Act to mandate the disclosure and reduction of pay ratios, specifically suggesting a maximum ratio of 25:1 between the top 5% and bottom 5% of earners. The brief also recommends capping executive pay, linking state procurement and incentives to wage equity, and using the public sector as a model employer to flatten wage hierarchies.

The document argues that while small and medium businesses are critical for formal employment in South Africa, the sector has remained stagnant or declined over the last decade. It critiques the National Development Plan's job creation targets as unrealistic and highlights a significant imbalance in government support, which heavily favors large businesses. The brief proposes a shift toward a 'national social compact' (Quadrant IV) involving economy-wide reforms, including tax incentives for startups, tenure reform in Traditional Authority Areas, telecommunications liberalisation, and the use of competition policy to open market access for small and black-owned businesses.

The report examines the climate footprint of Swedish public sector consumption, highlighting that municipal activities account for approximately 70% of public consumption-based emissions. Through case studies of Eskilstuna and Umeå, the document analyzes quantitative, qualitative, and transformative measures to reduce emissions from food and transport. Key findings indicate that while administrative and informative tools are common, more powerful transformative changes—such as establishing vegetarian norms and urban densification—are necessary to meet long-term climate goals. The report recommends that Sweden establish consumption-based emission targets for 2030 and 2045 to complement territorial goals.

This briefing, delivered by Richard Sizani, Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, addresses the tension between political and professional roles in South Africa's public administration. It advocates for a clear demarcation of roles to prevent service delivery breakdowns, proposes a structured professionalisation of the civil service and procurement functions, and suggests reforms to curb patronage and mismanagement in state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

The document examines the systemic failures of public-private partnerships (PPPs), citing the collapse of Carillion in the UK and concerns over the US 'Rebuilding Infrastructure' plan. It argues that PPPs often fail when used primarily to keep debt off public balance sheets, leading to poor project preparation and skewed risk allocation. To improve outcomes, the author suggests moving toward systemic master planning, enhancing public sector negotiation skills, and adopting procurement strategies that prioritize lifecycle value over the lowest bid. The paper emphasizes that for PPPs to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, they must be designed with transparent, equitable contracts and a focus on sustainable development rather than just financial returns.

The document outlines strategies for using public procurement to support the transition to a low-carbon economy in Europe's infrastructure and construction sectors. It identifies key stages of the procurement cycle for driving innovation and offers specific recommendations for the European Commission and EU member states to scale up the use of public funds to stimulate demand for low-carbon solutions.

The document evaluates Morocco's readiness for Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to adopt its national systems for procurement and environmental safeguards. It highlights that while Morocco has made significant progress in public financial management and has been a pioneer in adopting the African Development Bank's UCS, gaps remain in complaint-handling mechanisms and the inclusion of climate change in environmental impact assessments. The paper recommends that MDBs leverage the local banking sector and establish local offices to better integrate with national systems.

The document examines Bangladesh's cautious approach to plurilateral trade agreements (PTAs) against the backdrop of its planned graduation from LDC status by 2024. While the government remains neutral and prefers the inclusive multilateral system, the private sector sees PTAs as a way to build global alliances and prepare for the loss of LDC preferences. GTAP CGE modelling suggests that Bangladesh would benefit most from joining the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), while gains from the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) and Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) would be marginal, and the Information Technology Agreement II (ITA-II) would offer the least benefit.

The document examines Chile's trade policy, highlighting its preference for bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs) over certain plurilateral agreements. It details Chile's strategic shift toward services trade to compensate for a diminished manufacturing base and analyzes the economic rationale behind its participation in the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) and its non-participation in the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA), and Information Technology Agreement (ITA-II).

The document examines Malawi's position regarding four plurilateral trade agreements: the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), the Information Technology Agreement II (ITA-II), and the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA). While government officials suggest that TiSA and ITA-II could boost industrialization and competitiveness, GTAP modelling indicates that overall gains from participating in these negotiations would be very small or non-existent. Malawi currently faces significant challenges, including an undiversified export base dominated by tobacco, high costs of doing business, and limited human and financial capacity within the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism to engage effectively in complex WTO negotiations.

The document examines Zambia's efforts to leverage local content in its mining industry through policies like the Mines and Minerals Development Act and the Citizens Economic Empowerment Act. It highlights a critical gap: while service companies are clearly defined, there is no specific definition of the value-added required for goods to be considered 'made in Zambia'. This omission, combined with a lack of specific targets and quotas, has hindered enforcement and compliance. Consequently, despite various supplier development initiatives such as the IFC Copperbelt SME Suppliers Development Program and the Zambia Mining Local Content Initiative, up to 95% of goods and services locally procured by the mining industry remain imported.

The document outlines the proceedings of a three-day conference focused on the causes, mechanisms, and aftermath of state capture in South Africa. It examines the role of apartheid legacies, the influence of the private sector, the vulnerability of state-owned enterprises, and the failure of oversight institutions. The report emphasizes that state capture is a politico-economic project involving both formal and informal power, often facilitated by the politicization of the bureaucracy and the erosion of the criminal justice system. It argues for comprehensive state reform, including electoral changes, transparency in party funding, and the protection of whistleblowers, while drawing comparisons with state capture in Nigeria, Kenya, and Angola.

The briefing by i24c and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) outlines how public procurement laws, policies, and practices can be leveraged to drive the adoption of low-carbon innovations in sustainable infrastructure and construction across the European Union.

The document defines sustainable infrastructure and advocates for embedding sustainability criteria into infrastructure contracts, specifically public-private partnerships (PPPs), to mitigate risks and generate co-benefits. It critiques the 2017 World Bank Group’s Guidance on PPP Contractual Provisions for failing to sufficiently support measures aimed at achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Additionally, the text references a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) assessment regarding the electrification of the bus fleet in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.