Unveiling the determinants and formation mechanisms of the intention-behavior gap among private enterprises participating in new infrastructure construction

Purpose A disconnect between the intention to participate and the actual engagement among private enterprises is impeding the effective promotion of new infrastructure construction (NIC). To address this critical barrier, this study aims to identify the determinants of this intention-behavior gap and to uncover the causal relationships and hierarchical structures, thereby revealing its underlying formation mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach A hybrid research design is employed. First, LDA topic modeling is used to extract 16 determinants from a heterogeneous dataset of academic literature, policy documents and industry reports. These determinants are then categorized within the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework. Subsequently, a combined Fuzzy-DEMATEL-ISM-MICMAC approach is applied to identify key factors and elucidate the hierarchical structures among them. Findings Technological innovation benefits, data security assurance capabilities and corporate digital transformation strategy are identified as pivotal emerging determinants in the NIC field. Notably, the macroeconomic environment serves as a fundamental driver that profoundly influences the intention-behavior gap through the intermediate factors of market environment, organizational readiness and data security assurance capabilities. Originality/value By integrating data-driven factor discovery with expert-led structural analysis, this study overcomes the perceptual lag inherent in traditional factor identification and clarifies the gap's formation mechanisms. It extends the TOE framework to the NIC field and provides actionable guidance for policymakers and practitioners to facilitate substantive private enterprise engagement, ultimately fostering the high-quality development of NIC.