ABSTRACT
Public procurement – the arcane process through which public bodies buy goods and services – could be one of the most powerful expressions of a Green State, given its enormous potential to influence behaviour in the private as well as in the public sector. As it is generally deployed, however, public procurement presents us with a curious paradox. In theory, as we said, it is one of the most powerful instruments that governments have at their disposal; in practice, however, it tends to be a somewhat neglected function. Apart from some notable exceptions, the story of public procurement is a tale of untapped potential, so much so that the economic significance of procurement seems strangely out of step with its political status.
