Following the money: how external forces influence government contracting

Since the 1980’s there has been a steady push to increase the use of private sector actors in providing public services. At the federal level of government, the previous four administrations have each taken steps to reach this goal. One of the primary tools the government utilizes to increase the reliance on private sector actors is a contract. The use of contracts has proliferated in the last 10 years at the U.S. federal level. In the time period from 1996 to 2006 the total number of contract actions has increased more than six times. The total number has increased from 600,000 actions in 1996 to over 3,600,000 actions in 2006. The increase in contracts over this time period requires greater emphasis on studying government contracting. Although there is a rich literature in public administration that examines government contracting, there is little research that looks specifically at external influences on government contracting. This dissertation examines if various influences, including private sector actors, influence the contracting process. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, this dissertation answers the primary research question Do private companies affect contracting decisions through various avenues of influence? The findings from both the interviews and the regression analysis suggest that a number of factors influence contracting, including both internal and external forces. The primary contribution of this dissertation is the finding that private sector actors, through campaign contributions, influence government contracting.Ph.D.Includes abstractVitaIncludes bibliographical referencesby Daniel E. Bromber