Quality of Decision-Making in Public Law; Studies in Administrative Decision-Making in the Netherlands

Administrative decisions of government agencies are a fact of present day life and the general public is confronted with them all the time. Therefore legal quality of administrative decisions matters to people. It is in the interest of the individual person and the general public if agencies produce legally proper decisions right away. Correctional court procedures are cumbersome and costly, both to the individual objector and to the tax payer. Moreover, public agencies with a reputation of doing it the first time right will generate public trust in government and reinforce the legitimacy of public decision-making. Doing it the first time right, that is the main theme of this collection of essays. The collection draws on the combined research experience of a group of Dutch scholars in public law and public administration. Thus the topic is examined from a variety of angles and perspectives. Some of the papers deal with basic questions such as: what could be the meaning of the concept of legal quality? And how can it be applied when assessing administrative decision-making? Other essays are about conditions for enhancing legal quality, both in public law and in public organizations. Also included are some topical studies that present specific issues in legal quality of administrative decision-making.