Comprehending the Discourse on Sustainable Procurement: A Q-Methodology Study in Development Cooperation

Abstract

Sustainable procurement plays an increasingly important role within contemporary policy agenda. This study aims to help clarifying the present discourse on sustainable procurement, with particular attention to international cooperation programs in developing countries. How is sustainable procurement understood from the side of practitioners within the sector of development cooperation? Do they share a homogeneous understanding of what it is, what are its effects, and what should be done of it, or do they rather hold contrasting views? In order to answer these questions, the present study employs a Q methodology for identifying different viewpoints that practitioners of development cooperation hold about this topic. The findings of this study bear some relevance for the design and implementation of policies that are intended to stimulate the adoption of sustainable procurement, especially within international cooperation programs in developing countries.