Bureaucratic Competence and Procurement Outcomes
Does a more competent public bureaucracy contribute to better economic outcomes? We address this question in the context of the US federal procurement of services and works by combining contract-level data on procurement performance and bureau-level data on competence and workforce characteristics. Using an instrumental variable strategy, we find that an increase in bureau competence causes a significant and economically important reduction in: i) delays, ii) cost overruns, and iii) number of renegotiations. Cooperation within the office appears to be a key driver of the findings.
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Copy CitationFrancesco Decarolis, Leonardo M. Giuffrida, Elisabetta Iossa, Vincenzo Mollisi, and Giancarlo Spagnolo, "Bureaucratic Competence and Procurement Outcomes," NBER Working Paper 24201 (2018), https://doi.org/10.3386/w24201.
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Published Versions
Francesco Decarolis & Leonardo M Giuffrida & Elisabetta Iossa & Vincenzo Mollisi & Giancarlo Spagnolo, 2021. "Bureaucratic Competence and Procurement Outcomes," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, vol 36(3), pages 537-597. citation courtesy of 
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