Language as a Tool of Favoritism: Explaining Textual Discretion in Brazilian Procurement

• In Event: Bureaucratic Bias: Ideology and Alignment

Brief Overview

Why do tender texts signal favoritism? Mayoral control and weak oversight can spur vague or hyper-specific language that steers awards. Using NLP, I score favoritism and test links to donor firms, non-competitive bids, and the 2016 donation ban.

Author

• Beatriz Silva da Costa, University of Virginia