Taking up the concept of vulnerability, this book examines the gendered impact of market-based procurement practices.

In recent years, ideological shifts and real managerial constraints have forced states everywhere to rely on private resources to solve public problems. Focusing on instances where the state retains ownership of assets and rights, even if it temporarily devolves its authority to a private entity (profit or non-profit), this book uncovers the ways in which these private actors are not just suppliers of materials goods, but increasingly policy influencers. More specifically, the book focuses on the gendered dynamics within the law, policy, and practice of public procurement and investigates how vulnerability is conceptualized and coded in the process of public acquisition of works, goods, and services from private suppliers. In this book, a series of rich case studies from Africa, the Middle East, and Europe show how vulnerability theory can inform the design of public institutions that are more responsible and responsive to gender-informed demands for social justice.

This is the first book to integrate vulnerability theory into public procurement studies in global and comparative perspectives, and it will appeal to scholars and others with interests in gendered dynamics in law and society, international development, public policy, and international political economy.