An Institutional Theory of Public Contracts: Regulatory Implications

33 Pages Posted: 18 Aug 2008 Last revised: 3 Sep 2022

See all articles by Pablo T. Spiller

Pablo T. Spiller

University of California, Berkeley - Business & Public Policy Group

Date Written: August 2008

Abstract

The fundamental feature of private contracting is its relational nature. When faced with unforeseen or unexpected circumstances, private parties, as long as the relation remains worthwhile, adjust their required performance without the need for costly renegotiation or formal recontracting. Public contracting, on the other hand, seems to be characterized by formalized, standardized, bureaucratic, rigid procedures. Common wisdom sees public contracts as generally more inflexible, requiring more frequent formal renegotiation, having a higher tendency to litigate, and providing weaker incentives. In sum, public contracts are perceived to be less "efficient." In this paper I develop a theory of public contracting that accommodates these stark differences between private and public contracting. The thrust of the paper is that these differences arise directly because of the different hazards present in public and purely private contracts, which directly impact the nature of the resulting contractual forms. A fundamental corollary of this result is that the perceived inefficiency of public or governmental contracting is simply the result of contractual adaptation to different inherent hazards, and as such is not directly remediable. Finally, I apply the main insights from the general framework developed here to understand the characteristics of concession contracts.

Suggested Citation

Spiller, Pablo T., An Institutional Theory of Public Contracts: Regulatory Implications (August 2008). NBER Working Paper No. w14152, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1231682

Pablo T. Spiller (Contact Author)

University of California, Berkeley - Business & Public Policy Group ( email )

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Berkeley, CA 94720
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