Abstract/Summary

Corruption is a universal problem, and one that is extremely difficult to eradicate. In Thailand, corruption is rife, and despite various policy attempts by Thai government, there remains no solution for alleviating this issue. The aim of this thesis is to understand the meaning of corruption in Thai context and to recommend an appropriate plan that is suitable within that context. 20 unstructured interviews were conducted on Thai business owners who shared their lived experience of corruption, with an institutional logic perspective applied as the method of analysis. The findings show that there are two prevalent justifications of corruption. First, corruption get things done. Second, corruption is an act of caring. This study shows that corruption holds different meanings in different contexts, and that to solve corruption, a specific anti-corruption campaign, suitable to the aforementioned contexts, is required. This approach helps examine the underlying principles and mechanisms through which corruption becomes normalised. In addition, it also challenges the perception that corruption is practised solely to maximise self-interest by showing that corruption, especially bribery, is not exclusively done out of pure self-interest, but also out of empathy, gratitude, and responsibility for one’s well-being.