"As governments are major buyers of goods and services, foreign companies are keen to be able to participate in procurement opportunities on an equal footing with national firms. This has given rise to the inclusion of procurement disciplines in trade agreements and to internationally-agreed...

Building on Oliver Williamson's original analysis, the contributors introduce new ideas, different perspectives and provide tools for better understanding changes in the approach to regulation, the reform of public utilities, and the complex problems of governance. They draw largely upon a...

"Originally an important but relatively obscure plurilateral instrument, the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) is now becoming a pillar of the WTO system as a result of important developments since the Uruguay Round. This collection examines the issues and challenges that this raises...

Contents: Foreword -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Value based demarcation between the public and the private domain / Klaas van Egmond -- Part I: Traditional core tasks of the state: security -- 3. The fight against money laundering: a public task? / Joras Ferwerda -- 4. Natural disasters and (future)...