Essence of the Concession Agreement in American Law

The nature of the institute of a concession agreement is still not obvious. This aspect is caused by the fact that the concession agreement combines private law and public law principles. For a deeper study of this institution, it is necessary to refer to foreign law. This article deals with the concept of a concession agreement in US law. In the United States, the essence of the concession agreement is subject to the theory of "complexity", i. e. an agreement at the junction of public and private law. The article explored the public and private legal elements of the theory of complexity and how they affect the regulation of the concession agreement in US law. The studied case law, doctrinal sources and historical prerequisites make it possible to establish that the institution of concession is a kind of franchise. US law divides franchise into public and private. Moreover, the institution of public franchise meets all the features of concession. The rules of the US Federal Procurement System discussed in the article define a concession agreement as a government contract for the "procurement" of services from a concessionaire for the needs of the US Government. The concept of a concession agreement as one of the methods of public procurement was considered in the Russian doctrine and is not a feature of only US law. A study of the impact of the concept of public interest on the institution of concession in American and Russian law was also made. The author proposes to consolidate the concept of "public interest" in the domestic legislation on concessions, taking into account the American experience. The article makes a comparative legal analysis of the institution of concession with other similar institutions in US law, which indicates that there is no uniformity in terms of American law, which requires a more detailed study of a specific legal institute in US law. Applied to a concession and concession agreement, the complexity in comparison is caused by the existence of different types of concessions, for example a mining concession. Also, the legislative acts of separate government departments and agencies contain their own qualifications for the concept of a concession and a concession agreement.

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