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Susanna Johansson. Photo: Patrik Hekkala

Susanna Johansson

Associate Professor of Social Work | PhD in Sociology of Law

Susanna Johansson. Photo: Patrik Hekkala

Institutional Incentives for Sustainable Public Procurement : a Case Study of Sustainability Considerations in the Swedish Construction Sector

Author

  • Lina Wedin Hansson
  • Susanna Johansson

Summary, in English

The possibility to integrate sustainability considerations in the public procurement process has been debated over recent decades, resulting in several legislative changes. Collaboration between public and private sectors is emphasised as important in the development of sustainable public procurement but few studies focus on public-private collaboration related to sustainable public procurement. This article contributes to this area of research through an empirical case study of the integration of social and environmental considerations in Swedish public procurement of construction work. A pilot project to enable employment of youth in a construction project is used as a case study. An analysis is conducted of the institutional incentives that exist regarding sustainability considerations, both from the perspective of the public sector actor (the procuring authority) and the private sector actor (the contractor). A model of institutional incentives is developed that broadens the concept of incentives for use beyond merely regulative incentives or financial or contractual incentives. The findings show that regulative incentives have been subordinated other types of institutional incentives in sustainable public procurement practice. The complexity of institutional incentives is important to highlight in order to understand sustainable public procurement in practice, and what factors may contribute as well as hinder the decision-making processes related to sustainability objectives.

Department/s

  • School of Social Work
  • Department of Sociology of Law

Publishing year

2017

Language

English

Pages

220-235

Publication/Series

The Public Procurement Law Review

Volume

26

Issue

5

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Sweet & Maxwell

Topic

  • Law and Society
  • Social Work

Keywords

  • construction industry
  • sustainability issues
  • Public Procurement
  • collaboration
  • Sweden
  • construction indusry
  • sustainability issues
  • Public Procurement
  • collaboration
  • Sweden

Status

Published

Project

  • Samverkan och hållbarhetshänsyn i bygginköpsprocessen

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0963-8245