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

Farid Khelatou

doi:10.37497/CorruptionReview.8.2026.109

Authors

Farid Khelatou University of Abdelhamid Mehri Constantine 2 https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5064-1136

DOI:

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

Keywords:

Public procurement, Transparency governance, Institutional alignment, Anti-corruption, Algeria

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.

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Author Biography

Farid Khelatou, University of Abdelhamid Mehri Constantine 2

Dr. Farid Khelatou holds a PhD in Economics (2015) from the University of Constantine 2, Algeria. He obtained his Habilitation to Direct Research in 2021. He is currently Associate Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics, University of Abdelhamid Mehri Constantine 2 (Algeria), and Head of the Public Administration Research Unit within the great Maghreb Laboratory. His research focuses on public procurement governance, anti-corruption policies, public finance, and evaluation of public policies. He previously served as General Inspector of Finance at the Algerian General Inspection of Finance .

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