Corruption pathways and governance failures in Thailand’s public construction projects: Phases, mechanisms, and stakeholders

Abstract

Public construction corruption threatens fiscal efficiency, infrastructure quality, public safety, and confidence in government institutions. Grounded in a governance-failure perspective, this study employs a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods design to systematically analyze corruption pathways across all 13 project phases, from political conceptualization through post-project maintenance. Through expert interviews (n = 18), four documentary case analyses, and a supplementary questionnaire completed by 60 purposively selected construction professionals, this research identifies seven corruption mechanisms: specification rigging, bid collusion, quality degradation, scope reduction, documentation falsification, kickback extraction, and political patronage. The findings indicate that corruption risks are concentrated in specification development, bidding, contract execution, inspection, and payment and are sustained by interactions among government officials, contractors, consultants, political actors, intermediaries, and evaluation committees. Official data provide broader context, showing that public procurement corruption accounted for THB 13.391 billion, or 51.02 percent, of documented corruption-related losses in fiscal year 2023 (National Anti-Corruption Commission [NACC], 2024). A comprehensive corruption prevention framework addressing systemic, institutional, technological, and human-resource dimensions is proposed. The study contributes to the governance literature by showing how corruption persists through interconnected governance failures and offers evidence-based recommendations for Thai policymakers, researchers, and anti-corruption practitioners.