Failure of Infrastructure Systems: A Multilevel Network Analysis of Decision-Making and Influential Behavioral Constructs

High-profile failures of infrastructure systems are often attributed to design flaws. However, these incidents can also stem from a broader set of interconnected decisions made by stakeholders involved in the planning, management, and operation of these systems. While ethical guidelines and professional codes are designed to prevent such failures, cognitive biases may undermine adherence. Previous research efforts, primarily focused on ethical violations using case studies, have overlooked how behavioral ethics constructs and professional conduct could drive these breaches. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by (1) conducting an analysis of three system failure cases at the micro, meso, and macro levels to identify key decisions made by primary stakeholders; (2) overlaying these decisions with violations of the ASCE Code of Ethics as well as the known behavioral constructs that triggered ethical breaches; (3) providing quantitative metrics to assess the impact and extent of these decisions on project failure; and (4) constructing visual graph networks to reveal critical patterns of behavioral constructs and code violations. Results showed that conformity, slippery slope, and overconfidence biases negatively influenced decision-making, while the moving spotlight effect had a positive influence. These behavioral constructs formed a self-reinforcing cycle of unethical decisions that explicitly emphasized the need for targeted interventions. As such, ethical risk factors were identified as early warning signs to proactively mitigate unethical decision-making. Moreover, several recommendations were proposed including educating professionals and students about the impact of behavioral biases and implementing organizational reforms that promote transparency, accountability, and diverse perspectives. Through addressing these behavioral patterns, this study offers actionable strategies for professionals, policymakers, and educators to mitigate unethical decision-making and hopefully prevent future infrastructure system failures.