Faculty Sponsor: Xiaoxue Zhao
Live Poster Session: Zoom Link Goes Here
Ruishi Wang
Ruishi is a rising senior (’26) from Beijing pursuing Economics, Science and Technology Studies with a minor in Data Analysis. His interests include AI ethic and using data to produce meaningful result. Outside of class, he enjoys rock climbing and reading sci-fi,
Abstract: In China, public procurement accounts for a significant share of government spending and is especially vulnerable to corruption, and open bidding is the dominant procurement method. Open bidding is widely promoted as a tool to enhance transparency and reduce corruption. According to the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Bid Invitation and Bidding, it mandates that government officials publicly announce bids to any eligible legal entities and organizations. In addition, open bidding is the most competitive method and the least susceptible to corruption. However, in many settings, open bidding is selectively implemented, and its effectiveness in curbing corruption remains uncertain. Procurement officials still find ways to circumvent formal rules by informal rules especially through evading open bidding. This study uses a regression discontinuity design exploiting the policy threshold for mandatory open bidding in China to identify its causal effect on procurement outcomes and corruption proxies. Specifically, it investigates how adopting open bidding reduces procurement prices paid by local governments.
poster2025-Ruishi