Automated, administrative decision‐making and good governance: Synergies, trade‐offs, and limits
Open accessAbstract
Automated, administrative decision‐making (AADM) is a key component in digital government reforms. It represents an aspiration for a better and more efficient administration but also presents challenges to values of public administration. We systematically review the emerging literature on use of AADM from the perspective of good governance. Recognizing the inherent tensions of values of public administration, the broad review identifies key synergies, trade‐offs, and limits of AADM and good governance associated with nine values: Accountability, efficiency, equality, fairness, resilience, responsiveness, right‐to‐privacy, rule‐of‐law, and transparency. While synergies represent “low‐hanging fruits”, trade‐offs and limits are “hard cases” representing challenges to good governance. Taking the specific decision‐making context into account, practitioners and scholars should attempt to nurture the “fruits” and lessen the tensions of the “hard‐cases” thereby increasing the desirable societal outcomes of use of AADM.
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A public authority entrusted with discretion must remain prepared to consider individual circumstances and depart from general rules when the law requires it.
“The underlying principle is that a public authority entrusted with discretion must remain prepared to consider individual circumstances and depart from general rules when the law requires it.”
From Algorithmic Administrative Authority: Reconstructing the Legal Boundaries of Government Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2026) · cites this paper as Roehl (2024)
Fettering of discretion is an important rule-of-law limit in automated administration.
“Roehl (2024) identifies fettering of discretion as an important rule-of-law limit in automated administration.”
From Algorithmic Administrative Authority: Reconstructing the Legal Boundaries of Government Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2026) · cites this paper as Roehl (2024)
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- Authors
- Roehl, U. B. U., & Hansen, M. B.
- Affiliations
- Department of Digitalization Copenhagen Business School Frederiksberg Denmark
- University of Southern Denmark (DK)
- Venue
- Public Administration Review
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2024-03-26
- Volume
- 84
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1184-1199
- ISSN
- 0033-3352 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-6210
- OpenAlex
- W4393229134
- Cited by
- 38
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 4
- FWCI
- 60.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Public Administration Review (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- University of Southern Denmark Research Portal (University of Southern Denmark) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- CBS Research Portal (Copenhagen Business School) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › E-Government and Public Services
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
- Keywords
- good governance, public administration values, accountability, efficiency, equality, fairness, resilience, responsiveness, right to privacy, rule of law, transparency, trade-offs
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