
This work proposes a foundational shift in administrative philosophy by moving beyond the traditional regulation-centered model and articulating a three-function framework for democratic governance: (1) the identification of regulatory failure through substantive negative feedback, (2) the systematic evaluation of benefits and burdens, and (3) the institutionalized creation and comparison of alternative policy options. Drawing on insights from control theory, political philosophy, and contemporary administrative practice, the paper demonstrates that democracy does not depend on universal participation or direct democratic procedures. Instead, it requires institutional structures that render administrative power corrigible. The core argument is that genuine accountability—defined as the obligation to evaluate alternatives, disclose decision criteria, and maintain conditional revisability—is the necessary condition for substantive negative feedback in modern administrative states. By integrating benefit evaluation and alternative creation into a unified theoretical model, this work provides a structural solution to long‑standing problems in regulatory governance, including ritualized consultation, opaque decision-making, and the absence of meaningful feedback loops. The result is a new administrative philosophy capable of restoring democratic control within complex, specialized, and large‑scale bureaucratic systems.
Regulatory Governance, Benefit–Burden Evaluation, Corrigibility of Administrative Power, Institutional Design for Democracy, Democratic Accountability, Administrative Philosophy, Indirect Democracy, Decision Criteria Transparency, Alternative Policy Creation, Substantive Negative Feedback
Regulatory Governance, Benefit–Burden Evaluation, Corrigibility of Administrative Power, Institutional Design for Democracy, Democratic Accountability, Administrative Philosophy, Indirect Democracy, Decision Criteria Transparency, Alternative Policy Creation, Substantive Negative Feedback
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 0 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
