Arkadian Research Lab
Exploratory Fellows Programme

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The Arkadian Research Lab supports independent academic research into the structure and dynamics of public procurement systems. The Lab collaborates with students at leading universities in data science, economics, and public policy, providing fellows with analytical infrastructure and interdisciplinary mentorship.


Fellows use these resources to investigate structural questions in public sector markets. Current research themes include the comparative effects of procurement reform in the United Kingdom, the drivers of buyer and supplier risk in public contracting across Eastern Europe, and the role of information asymmetries in shaping market participation and competition.


The Lab operates at the intersection of computational analysis and institutional research. By combining large-scale procurement data with quantitative methods, fellows are able to examine how market structure, regulatory design, and information flows influence contracting outcomes.


The program supports the development of working papers and policy analysis that contribute to a deeper understanding of government markets. Through this work, the Arkadian Research Lab seeks to advance a more transparent, analytically grounded understanding of public procurement systems and their role in economic development.

For the cohort commencing September 2026, the Lab is pursuing a focused, cross-European inquiry into SME participation in public procurement markets.


The cohort will focus on three core research questions:

  • To what extent does SME participation in public procurement vary across EU member states operating under the common EU public procurement framework, and which countries exhibit comparatively high levels of SME participation?

  • Which policy interventions, institutional arrangements, procurement practices, and market characteristics are associated with higher levels of SME participation in public procurement?

  • What explains cross-national variation in SME participation in public procurement despite the application of a common EU procurement framework?


This line of research is motivated by growing evidence that SME participation in public procurement generates value beyond direct economic outcomes, strengthening competition, market resilience, innovation, local employment, and public value more broadly. By comparing countries operating under a shared regulatory framework, the Lab seeks to understand which environments have enabled meaningful SME participation, the mechanisms driving that participation, and why otherwise similar directives produce markedly different outcomes across jurisdictions.