DELEGATED POWER, CAPTURED GOVERNANCE: HOW WEAKNESSES IN ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOUNTABILITY FUEL CRONY CAPITALISM AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY

The modern administrative state relies extensively on delegated legislation to address complex governance challenges, yet this reliance creates fundamental democratic accountability deficits. This paper argues that inadequate oversight mechanisms in delegated legislation processes create systematic vulnerabilities to crony capitalism and state capture, thereby exacerbating social inequality. Through theoretical synthesis and doctrinal analysis of administrative law principles, this research demonstrates how weak parliamentary scrutiny, limited judicial review, and insufficient public participation enable private interests to manipulate regulatory processes for personal advantage. The paper presents evidence showing that captured administrative decision-making systematically redirects public resources away from broad social welfare toward narrow elite interests, thereby reinforcing existing inequality structures. The research contributes a comprehensive framework linking administrative law design flaws to broader political economy pathologies and their social consequences, offering theoretical insights for administrative reform aimed at strengthening democratic governance and reducing inequality.