Administrative sanctions as a governance instrument: A systematic review of the sanctioning principle in regulatory contexts
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Abstract
This systematic review article aims to present findings on administrative sanctions as a governance instrument within regulatory contexts. It is guided by the PICO research question: ¿To what extent do administrative sanctions, as an expression of the sanctioning principle, contribute to the effectiveness of governance across different regulatory settings? Following the PRISMA methodology, 1622 documents were identified from the following databases: Scopus (85), ScienceDirect (1377), Wiley (123), and SciELO (37). The selection process yielded 415 studies, of which 146 met eligibility criteria, and 53 were ultimately included. Inclusion criteria were: publication period between 2006 and 2025, original research articles, open access, full-text availability, and thematic relevance and specificity. Exclusion criteria included: general or low-relevance thematic approach, restricted access, other types of documents, incomplete texts, and duplicates. The results show that administrative sanctions face procedural, regulatory, and managerial deficiencies that limit their legitimacy and effectiveness as governance tools. The study concludes that strengthening administrative sanctions requires proportionality, regulatory clarity, procedural guarantees, digitalization, and citizen participation, in order to build a sanctioning model that is fairer, more efficient, and sustainable.
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