Public Procurement Pathways: Sustainability Edition

Abstract

Public Procurement Pathways inaugurates a new research-based series on public procurement. The volume brings together an introduction and five peer-reviewed chapters that examine how Norwegian contracting authorities deploy procurement to achieve environmental and social sustainability goals. Contributions range from a conceptual update of Khi V. Thai’s procurement system model to empirical analyses of green, low-carbon and socially oriented purchasing at national and local levels. The authors explore competence requirements, market responses to environmental criteria and practical obstacles such as limited capacity and risk aversion. Collectively, the chapters offer an integrated view of the challenges and opportunities that arise when procurement is treated as a strategic policy instrument. The book targets students, practitioners and policymakers and is published with the support of the Norwegian Public Procurement Academy, which promotes evidence-informed public procurement through research, education and knowledge sharing.