Includes bibliographical references (p. 619-660) and index.

What is this book about? -- Roots -- Status equality law and policy -- International and European procurement regulation -- Buying social justice? -- Contract compliance in the United States and Canada -- Set-asides in the United States and Canada -- Evolution of the government procurement agreement model and procurement linkages -- Procurement linkages and developing countries -- Procurement linkages and the 1980's reform of EC procurement regulation -- Domestic procurement linkages during the 1990s and the chilling effect of European procurement regulation -- Changing approaches to procurement linkages in the community and beyond -- Expansion of equality linkages in the member states -- Procurement linkages and the 2003 legislative reforms : a modus vivendi in sight? -- Interpreting the government procurement agreement -- EC public procurement law and equality linkages : foundations for interpretation -- European public procurement law and equality linkages : government as consumer, government as regulator -- Reconciling social and economic approaches to public procurement.