Supplying the pandemic response: The importance of public procurement

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 189-208
Author(s):  
Sawsan Abutabenjeh, PhD ◽  
Lachezar Anguelov, PhD ◽  
Benjamin M. Brunjes, PhD ◽  
Ana-Maria Dimand, PhD ◽  
Evelyn Rodriguez-Plesa, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Government Procurement ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Pandemic Response ◽  
Management Recommendations

The rapid global transmission of COVID-19 has demonstrated many weaknesses in government procurement of essential supplies. In the United States, these problems have been particularly evident, as systemic fragmentation through federalism has frustrated a coordinated response. Rather than working together, states and localities are competing over limited medical resources, while the federal government has not stepped in to alleviate burdens on the lower tiers of government. In this study, we introduce how procurement is managed under normal circumstances and how it changes during emergencies. Easing procurement rules comes with necessary tradeoffs, particularly involving equity and accountability. Using case studies from recent disasters, we identify procurement and management recommendations for the COVID-19 response and future emergencies. We conclude that public procurement is integral to effective management in the 21st century and must be treated as such in the study and practice of public administration and emergency management.

scholarly journals Emergency Management Missing from the Pandemic?

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 149-150
Author(s):  
Attila J. Hertelendy, PhD ◽  
William L. Waugh, Jr., PhD
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Year ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
White House ◽  
Pandemic Response

The change in presidential administrations in the United States promises new approaches to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The first year of the pandemic response in the United States has been characterized by a lack of national leadership. Moreover, the message from the White House Coronavirus Task Force has been muddled at best. There have been great inconsistencies in how the States have chosen to address spreading infections and increased stress on individual Americans who are trying to protect themselves and their families. The same pattern can be found with the distribution of vaccines and management of vaccinations. Politics has often conflicted with public health concerns. The States have been left to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to medical personnel and first responders and to formulate their own guidance for protective measures.

Local Disasters, Government Actors, and National Policy

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Timothy W. Kneeland
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
National Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Leadership ◽  
Disaster Policy ◽  
National Trends ◽  
Disaster Aid

This introductory chapter provides an overview of Hurricane Agnes, which swept through New York and Pennsylvania in late June of 1972. National trends influenced the federal and local response to the disaster. Hurricane Agnes struck the United States less than five months before the 1972 presidential election, and Richard Nixon's response to Hurricane Agnes was one variable in that election, which charted the course of American politics for the next three decades. In order to win reelection in 1972, President Nixon enacted the most substantial disaster aid package in history to that time, termed the Agnes Recovery Act, which he was convinced was the key to winning New York and Pennsylvania. The chapter then explains that local leaders played a crucial role in responding to the crisis in their communities and in flood recovery operations and rebuilding. Often neglected in studies of natural disaster policy is the way in which local leadership from government and the private sector interacted with representatives of the federal government to restore order and implement change. The chapter also introduces the Federal Office of Emergency Management (FEMA).

US and European Public Procurement Policies for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME): A Comparative Perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max V. Kidalov ◽  
Keith F. Snider
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Comparative Perspective ◽  
Huge Amount ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
European Public ◽  
Policy Objectives

This paper provides a comparative perspective of public procurement policies for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the United States and Europe. Public procurement is increasingly recognized as a strategic function of public administration because of the huge amount of resources it consumes, as well as the important policy objectives it seeks to promote, including SME-related objectives. Progress towards meeting SME procurement participation goals, however, remains elusive on both sides of the Atlantic. Policy makers and administrators have little comparative research upon which to draw regarding the effectiveness of various policy approaches, a shortcoming this paper seeks to address. An institutional perspective is adopted which helps explain similarities and differences in U.S. and European SME policies.

Are we better off? Emergency management policy implementation since September 11

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 439-453
Author(s):  
Sean Hildebrand, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Federal Policy ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
September 11 ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Incident Management

As public policy continues its evolution, so do theories about policy implementation. One policy field that changed during the twenty-first century is emergency management and homeland security in the United States. Since the September 11 attacks, the federal government attempted to centralize the way government agencies at the federal, state, and local level prepare for and respond to natural, accidental, and terror-related disasters. However, research in the field is split about the effectiveness of this effort during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. While some feel federal actions taken to prepare for and respond to incidents of natural, accidental, or purposeful intent have been fruitful in preparing the nation for catastrophic events, others say it detracts from the core mission of emergency management. This study considers if the policy changes that occurred during those administrations created a disparity between the policy expectations of the federal government and the actions of local officials in emergency management. The findings show that local emergency management professionals generally reported the implementation of federal policy expectations, and that the odds of doing so increase where respondents report greater “clarity” in the federal policy language. However, differences exist in terms of how local managers view the requirements of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) versus other federal policy demands. This signals that experienced actors may nominally comply with federal policy demands by downplaying those requirements seen as useless in favor of functions that meet jurisdictional needs.

scholarly journals Why Pandemics, Such as COVID-19, Require a Metropolitan Response

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Shlomo Angel ◽  
Alejandro Blei
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Small City ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Rural Counties ◽  
Scaling Hypothesis ◽  
Statistical Support ◽  
Statistical Results ◽  
The U.S

We introduce evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States that lends support to future political efforts to include multi-county metropolitan areas as an additional and critical institutional layer—over and above municipalities, countries, states, or the federal government—for the effective management of present and future pandemics. Multi-county metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) accommodated 73% of the U.S. population and, as of 27 September 2020, they were home to 78% of reported cases of COVID-19 and 82% of reported deaths. The rationale for a renewed focus on these spatial units is that they are found to be densely interconnected yet easily identifiable locales for the spread of pandemics and, therefore, for their proper management as well. The paper uses available data on cases and deaths in U.S. counties as of 27 September 2020 to lend statistical support to four hypotheses: (1) The Onset Hypothesis: The onset of COVID-19 cases and deaths commenced earlier in multi-county metropolitan areas than in small-city counties or rural counties; (2) The Peak Hypothesis: The current peak of COVID-19 cases and deaths occurred earlier in multi-county metropolitan areas; (3) The Scaling Hypothesis: Multi-county metropolitan areas had more than their shares of COVID-19 cases and deaths than their shares in the population; and (4) The Neighbor Hypothesis: Levels of COVID-19 cases and deaths in counties within multi-county metropolitan areas were more strongly related to respective levels in their neighboring counties than small-city counties or rural counties. The reported statistical results demonstrate the value of adopting a metropolitan perspective on pandemics and working to empower effective institutional arrangements at the metropolitan level for managing the present and future pandemics.

scholarly journals Applicability of emergency management theory in the management of Covid-19 health pandemic in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-97
Author(s):  
Eghoikhunu Stella Ughulu ◽  
Obaren Thomas Igabor
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Minimal Effect ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Research Institutes ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
The Government ◽  
Secondary Method

Emergency has become a global reoccurrence and when it occurs in a country, the government usually adopt measures to curtail the negative effects of the phenomenon. COVID-19 as the present global emergency needs to be tackled with proper and effective management measures. The principles of Emergency Management Theory are among the global highly rated and most common measures used to tackle emergencies to achieve minimal effect on lives and economies. It is based on the above statements that this study examined the Application of the principles of Emergency Management Theory in the Federal Government of Nigeria‟s management of COVID-19 to ascertain the extent the Federal Government is utilizing the theory‟s principles in its fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria. The study utilized the secondary method of data collection and used observations and documents as its tools of evaluation. The study found that the principles of Emergency Management Theory have been applied by the Federal Government in the management of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The study concludes that the application of the principles Emergency Management Theory in the management of COVID-19 has greatly enhanced Government‟s efforts in the fight against the disease in Nigeria. To improve on emergency management in Nigeria, the study recommended that: Individual researchers and research institutes be supported to develop more proactive ways of dealing with emergencies in the country and Nigerians should all be re-orientated and sensitized on how to prevent, respond and deal with emergencies.

From a Nation of Farmers to a Nation of Homeowners

2019 ◽  
pp. 88-106
Author(s):  
Sarah L. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Local Community ◽  
National Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Government Support ◽  
World War ◽  
Mortgage Credit ◽  
The First World War ◽  
Working Together ◽  
First World

This chapter demonstrates how, as the United States transitioned from an agricultural to an industrial nation, mortgage lenders promoted homeownership as the new measure of independence, success, and virtue. This vision was built into the deep logic of their lending structures, which brought into being a small local community of equals working together to lift themselves up. Lending cooperatives developed in the nation's towns and cities over much of the nineteenth century. On the national level, direct federal government support for urban mortgage credit was delayed until the First World War, when a set of housing crises led to national experiments in the building and financing of urban homes. These programs were temporary, but they helped change how many Americans thought about housing policy, introducing the idea that such policy was an integral part of economic growth and a potentially appropriate site of federal involvement, especially when organized through partnerships and credit support.

Aaron Wildavsky,

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Wehner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Fiscal Crisis ◽  
Budgetary Process ◽  
Budgetary Decisions ◽  
Aaron Wildavsky ◽  
Patterns Of Interaction

This chapter comments on Aaron Wildavsky’s seminal work,The Politics of the Budgetary Process, an in-depth look at the norms and rules of budgeting in the United States and the stable patterns of interaction between the various actors involved. Considered a classic of public administration scholarship, the book uses a simple yet fundamental theoretical framework for analyzing budgetary decisions. After summarizing the basic elements of Wildavsky’s theory of budgetary incrementalism, the chapter discusses challenges to incrementalism that arose mainly in the context of economic and fiscal crisis that influenced the way the federal government made budgetary decisions. It then considers the relevance and importance of Wildavsky’s work on the politics of the budgetary process by highlighting several elements that have had profound implications for scholarship on budgeting.

scholarly journals TTIP Negotiations and Public Procurement: Internal Federalist Tensions and External Risks of Marginalisation

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-414
Author(s):  
Maria Anna Corvaglia
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Government Procurement ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Transatlantic Trade ◽  
Trade And Investment

Abstract Government procurement is perhaps one of the most underexplored areas in the recent academic literature on transatlantic economic relations, yet it was also one of the most protected economic sectors addressed in the now derailed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. Even though the European Union (EU) and the United States have undertaken extensive reciprocal procurement commitments under the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), as well as in their respective preferential trade agreements (PTAs), the liberalisation and harmonisation of the transatlantic procurement market could not be more ambiguous or controversial. This article aims to deepen our understanding of crucial aspects of the contemporary EU–United States procurement relationship. To this end, the article explores the TTIP negotiations as well as similar PTAs and underlines the potential implications in terms of the fragmentation of the international discipline of procurement regulation.

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