Linking International Markets and Global Justice

Abstract:     
International controversy over the "Buy American" provisions of the stimulus bill highlight the myriad purposes government procurement serves and how WTO law can impact domestic procurement policy. While the stimulus bill sought to favor domestic interests, use of procurement policy to pursue objectives in other states, such as worker rights or environmental protection, raises even more challenging legal and policy questions. This essay, which reviews Christopher McCrudden's Buying Social Justice: Equality, Government Procurement, and Legal Change, situates debates over government procurement within the context of broader debates over use of regulatory policy and market mechanisms to induce social changes in foreign countries.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 22

Keywords: WTO, international trade, government procurement, social justice

Accepted Paper Series