Corruption risk analysis in local public procurement: a look at the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona

Abstract

Over the past years, the anti-corruption strategy in public administrations has been shifting from a formal way of control towards a risk management and assessment one. However, it is not clear whether these legal reforms at EU and at national level are reaching local institutions. The study evaluates the degree of compliance of the Greater Metropolitan Area of Barcelona by analysing a set of indicators divided into five main areas: codes of ethics, oversight bodies, transparency, conflicts of interests, and whistleblowing channels and protection. The results show that, even if there are also positive outcomes, the process of transforming the public administration and its contracting bodies towards a culture of integrity or risk management is still far from complete at local levels, and there are still institutional and normative shortcomings in terms of anti-corruption strategy and planning that should be promptly addressed. Points for practitioners: This article explores the impact of the current anti-corruption legislation on local governments and public bodies. It analyses the state of development of four key public procurement areas of action within the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, gathering 170 entities of different legal nature and size. The results show that the impact of European and national legislations seems to be still weak in local administrative structures, although the degree of development varies significantly among different types of entities.