On Decision Structure, Evaluation, Factual Grounds, and Reconstruction (Concept Note)

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This concept note develops an analytical perspective on administrative decisions as structured processes consisting of factual grounds, evaluation, and justification. It examines how these components may be distinguished and how their varying visibility may affect the possibility of reconstructing the basis of a decision.

The note introduces a distinction between criteria as existing reference points and operational criteria as identifiable elements within evaluation, and suggests that decision structures may shift from analytically distinguishable configurations to non-distinct forms in which justification appears as the primary identifiable component.

The analysis is compatible with empirically informed observations of criteria-lessness and contributes to the broader research framework on criteriology and the Self-Matryoshka Analytical Framework (S-MAF).

Version note: The definition of reconstructability presented in this note reflects the conceptual formulation at the time of publication. A revised and consolidated definition is provided in Key Analytical Terms in Criteriology and Decision Structure (Terminological Note). The present note remains unchanged to preserve the documented development of the concept.