Investigating Infrastructure Failures from a Behavioral Ethics Perspective: A Multi-Attribute Network Analysis Approach

Infrastructure system failures often result from decisions made by key stakeholders responsible for their development and management. Despite the presence of ethical codes designed to prevent such failures, cognitive biases can undermine compliance. Previous research has focused on ethical violations but has overlooked how behavioral ethics constructs drive these breaches. This paper bridges the gap by analyzing an infrastructure system failure case study, then mapping key decisions to violations of the ASCE Code of Ethics and associated behavioral constructs. Following, a graph network analysis quantified the impact and extent of these decisions on project failure. Findings revealed a self-reinforcing cycle of biases such as conformity, slippery slope, and overconfidence, which negatively influenced the decision-making network. Ultimately, the study assists professionals, policymakers, and educators to prioritize behavioral ethics interventions to mitigate violations and ultimately prevent future infrastructure failures.