The role of public procurement to foster social equity and justice: critical reflections on the circular procurement concept

Abstract

This paper presents the case of public procurement, which is seen as a powerful instrument to foster social equity and justice. It builds on theories that acknowledge social equity and justice as core values of public administration that should be among the guiding principles of the circular economy transition. The paper refers to public procurement as a core activity of public organisations, which basic operational guidelines are social equity and justice. The research introduces strategic approaches to procurement to understand how public procurement can foster social equity and justice in procurement practice. The focus is on socially responsible public procurement (SRPP) and the recently emerged concept of circular public procurement (CPP). The paper will make a critical reflection on CPP through the lenses of social equity and justice. It is concluded that current definitions of CPP do not reflect on issues of social equity. The paper argues that CPP can learn from SRPP and foster social equity and justice in procurement practice. It offers a consensual definition for CPP and acknowledges the need for a meta-definition for the different strategic procurement concepts. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it contributes to academic research on public procurement and circular economy; second, it provides inputs for interdisciplinary research on circular procurement. The originality and value of the paper are that it is the first attempt to reflect on CPP through the lenses of social equity and justice. The paper provides implications and recommendations for academics, policy makers and procurement practitioners.