The Nature of Administrative Policies

Administrative policies are an essential feature of governance and have become an accepted feature in administrative law. Yet, it remains unclear what exactly policies are. I will make two claims in this seminar. The first is about the features that different types of policies have in common. These features allow policies to be identified as a specific category of government action triggering distinct legal consequences. The second is about the diversity among policies. While there are common features of policies, there is a diversity among them which extends to their normative significance. I will also explore the doctrinal implications of these claims.