Strengthening corruption prevention strategies in public procurement: A study of local government organizations in southern Thailand

Local government organizations in southern Thailand face significant challenges arising from corruption scandals in public procurement, which have resulted in the loss of public trust, financial mismanagement, and inefficiency in service delivery. This research aims to examine corruption prevention in public procurement within selected local government organizations in the two areas most affected by scandals in southern Thailand. The study focuses on investigating current practices in corruption prevention, evaluating the effects of existing anti-corruption efforts, identifying key impediments to effective prevention, and exploring strategies for improving these efforts. A qualitative approach was employed, using semi-structured interviews with 40 participants. These participants included permanent local public servants, locally elected officials, bidders and contracting companies, anti-corruption bodies, civil society organizations, and mass media representatives. The findings revealed that the selected local governments had made notable progress in complying with procurement laws and regulations. However, certain loopholes remain, preventing the full realization of desired outcomes aligned with the five key principles of corruption prevention in public procurement and international standards. To address these issues, the study proposes 17 practical strategies to strengthen the application of international anti-corruption frameworks in local government procurement. It recommends that local government organizations clearly integrate the five principles — transparency, integrity, accountability, prevention of misconduct, and openness and fair competition — into their procurement practices. This requires moving beyond mere compliance with existing laws and regulations and adapting them to the specific local context of southern Thailand. Furthermore, the research suggests enhancing current prevention efforts by focusing on the system, context, organizational, and individual levels. This includes promoting decentralized control, raising public awareness, strengthening oversight mechanisms, and offering better incentives for procurement officials. Finally, the study recommends that future research expand on these findings through broader quantitative studies and emphasize building a culture of integrity to ensure the sustainability of anti-corruption efforts.