Transparency in the Algerian Public Procurement System: An Analytical Comparative Perspective Based on International Standards
PDF

Keywords

Public procurement
Transparency governance
Institutional alignment
Anti-corruption
Algeria

How to Cite

Khelatou, F. (2026). Transparency in the Algerian Public Procurement System: An Analytical Comparative Perspective Based on International Standards. Journal of Law and Corruption Review, 8, e0109. https://doi.org/10.37497/CorruptionReview.8.2026.109

Abstract

Purpose: This article examines the extent to which Algeria’s public procurement regulatory framework aligns with international transparency standards, particularly the WTO’s Revised Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and the UNCITRAL Model Law (2011). It addresses the gap between formal legal convergence and effective institutional transparency.

Originality/Value: The study advances a structured institutional comparison and proposes a governance-oriented perspective that moves beyond strict codification toward institutional consolidation and structured good practice guidance.

Methods: A qualitative comparative institutional approach combines doctrinal analysis with an analytical matrix structured around six transparency dimensions: publication, procedural predictability, discretion control, evaluation objectivity, review mechanisms, and traceability. Governance indicators, including the Corruption Perceptions Index (2025) and Worldwide Governance Indicators (2023), contextualize institutional performance.

Results: Findings reveal significant formal convergence but uneven substantive alignment. While publication and evaluation show partial alignment, procedural predictability, discretionary constraints, and review independence remain comparatively weak. Governance indicators suggest that legislative reform has not yet produced robust institutional transformation.

Conclusions: Effective procurement transparency requires not rule multiplication but institutional embedding, regulatory stability, constrained discretion, enforcement credibility, and governance-oriented implementation. The article contributes both an evaluative matrix and a conceptual reframing of transparency reform in transition procurement systems.

https://doi.org/10.37497/CorruptionReview.8.2026.109
PDF

References

Algeria. (2015). Executive Decree No. 15-247 regulating public procurement and public service delegations. Official Gazette of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.

Algeria. (2021). Executive Decree No. 21-219 relating to the digitalization and regulation of public procurement procedures. Official Gazette of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.

Algeria. (2023). Law No. 23-12 relating to public procurement. Official Gazette of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.

Arrowsmith, S. (2003). Transparency in government procurement: The objectives of regulation and the boundaries of the WTO. Journal of World Trade, 37(2), 283–303.

Arrowsmith, S., & Anderson, R. D. (Eds.). (2011). The WTO regime on government procurement: Challenge and reform. Cambridge University Press.

International Monetary Fund. (2022). Assessing vulnerabilities to corruption in public procurement and their price impact (IMF Working Paper No. 2022/094). International Monetary Fund.

Jensen, M. C., & Meckling, W. H. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3(4), 305–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X

Klitgaard, R. (1988). Controlling corruption. University of California Press.

Mokdad, A. (2012). La transparence des marchés publics en Algérie. ENAG.

North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, institutional change and economic performance. Cambridge University Press.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2015). Public procurement for sustainable and inclusive growth. OECD Publishing.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2016). Preventing corruption in public procurement. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264254458-en

Rose-Ackerman, S. (1999). Corruption and government: Causes, consequences, and reform. Cambridge University Press.

Transparency International. (2025). Corruption Perceptions Index 2025. Transparency International.

United Nations Commission on International Trade Law. (2011). UNCITRAL model law on public procurement. United Nations.

Williamson, O. E. (2000). The new institutional economics: Taking stock, looking ahead. Journal of Economic Literature, 38(3), 595–613. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.38.3.595

World Bank. (2016). Benchmarking public procurement 2016: Assessing public procurement regulatory systems in 77 economies. World Bank.

World Bank. (2017). Public procurement reform: Frameworks, principles and best practices. World Bank.

World Bank. (2019). Benchmarking public procurement 2019. World Bank.

World Bank. (2023). Worldwide Governance Indicators. World Bank.

World Trade Organization. (2012). Revised Agreement on Government Procurement. World Trade Organization.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2026 Farid Khelatou

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.