Protecting vulnerable groups through administrative law: Strengthening the right to good administration for social justice and inclusion

Administrative law systems across the globe increasingly confront challenges of ensuring effective protection for vulnerable groups while maintaining procedural fairness and institutional efficiency. This research examines how administrative law frameworks can be strengthened through the right to good administration to better protect vulnerable populations, including elderly persons, individuals with disabilities, migrants, minorities, and economically disadvantaged groups. Through comprehensive comparative analysis of European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Canadian, and Asia-Pacific jurisdictions, this study identifies critical gaps in current protective mechanisms and proposes innovative approaches to enhance fairness, accessibility, and responsiveness in administrative decision-making. The findings demonstrate that vulnerability considerations can significantly strengthen core good administration principles rather than compromising administrative effectiveness. The research develops a comprehensive framework integrating vulnerability assessments into administrative procedures while maintaining institutional legitimacy and democratic accountability. This framework addresses procedural safeguards, accessibility requirements, individualized decision-making approaches, and accountability mechanisms specifically designed for vulnerable group protection.