Research by Dr. Yunailis Salazar Marcano, (IGOV-UAB), PhD in Public Policy
The research, which has culminated in the defense of the thesis Who is at the helm? The implementation of socially responsible public procurement in Barcelona City Council has been led by Yunalis Salazar Marcano, PhD in Public Policy, and directed by Dr. Ismael Blanco Fillola, director of the Institute of Government of Public Policies (IGOP), research center of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), within the framework of the industrial doctorates promoted by the AGAUR, obtaining the highest grade (cum laude) awarded by the court.
This research analyzes the impact of Socially Responsible Public Procurement (CPRS) as a public policy of Barcelona City Council, and has been developed based on action research, typical of industrial doctorates, through which the author has combined the research work with practical work within the institution itself, in Barcelona Activa and in the Public Procurement Coordination Directorate.
Based on the following analytical propositions,
- Socially responsible public procurement can be a management instrument to address the negative effects of outsourcing public services, but legal, political and organizational factors that condition its implementation must be taken into account;
- In the deployment of this policy, errors traditionally attributed to the management of outsourcing may be reproduced;
- Legal changes in public procurement are fundamental but not sufficient if significant institutional readjustments are not made.
The study reviews the key aspects for its implementation (technical and legal training of City Council staff; the importance of incorporating monitoring, control of execution and evaluation; the role of change agents as promoters of new practices in the organization; and the position that the CPSR issue occupies on the political and institutional agenda), the thesis ends by proposing a CPSR management model that guides public administrations that seek to innovate in the public services procurement management.