1. Introduction
Administrative processes can be excessively long, convoluted, and irrational. This diminishes the satisfaction associated with achieving the outcome and, in some cases, renders the result nearly meaningless. Given that a significant portion of human life involves interacting with public administration, administrative processes have a considerable impact on the overall quality and enjoyment of life for both citizens and public employees. Their effects also extend to the broader level of public satisfaction.
In this context, the humanization of administration refers to reforming administrative processes in ways that enhance the sense of pleasure derived from administrative outcomes. It is assumed that creating pleasure for citizens, even if not the primary objective of the government, is nevertheless one of its responsibilities.
To address the issue, the study reread Jeremy Bentham’s pleasure–pain theory insofar as it relates to the humanization of bureaucracy. The primary objective was to develop a mechanism for humanizing administration by increasing pleasure and reducing pain. It also aimed to explain the concepts of pleasure and pain, along with illustrative examples, from Bentham’s perspective. The main research question is: How can administrative processes be designed so that they do not reduce human pleasure? The study also went on to address more specific questions: What is pleasure, and what are its components? And under what conditions does a person experience pleasure? The research is based on the hypothesis that administrative processes can be reformed to increase the individual pleasure of citizens and employees—and ultimately the general public—by identifying and applying the components of pleasure as outlined by Bentham.
2. Literature Review
Persian-language scholarship encompasses some research studies on different aspects of administrative structural reform. For example, in “Individual-Orientation or System-Orientation in the Laws Against Administrative Corruption in Iran,” Karimian (2021) addresses the issue of corruption and anti-corruption. In “An Introduction to Administrative Human Rights,” Hosseini and Khosravi (2020) focused on the promotion and protection of human rights in administrative settings.

The study by Salmani et al. (2022), titled “Challenges of Citizenship Rights in the Iranian Administrative System in Light of Good Governance,” examined increased accountability, improved efficiency and effectiveness of processes, and the optimization of relationships between citizens and public administration. Moreover, the article “Identifying and Prioritizing Elements of Organizational Democracy in the Public Sector Using Fuzzy Delphi and Network Analysis Process (ANP)” (Rangriz & Khamoie, 2020) focused on strengthening meritocracy and promoting the democratization of organizations. In a rather different fashion, the current analysis picked up an inherently non‑legal concept of pleasure to develop a framework aimed at addressing the decline in overall life satisfaction due to daily encounters with administrative processes.
3. Materials and Methods
The present study adopted a descriptive–analytical method. First, Bentham’s theory of pleasure was described within the context of existing theories. Its main features and components were then aligned with the requirements of administrative law in order to derive indicators based on these components. These indicators were ultimately used as guiding principles for administrative reform.
4. Results and Discussion
The pleasures in Bentham’s framework include the pleasures of sense, wealth, skill, amity (friendship), a good name, power, piety, benevolence, malevolence (pleasure derived from another’s pain), memory, imagination, expectation, as well as pleasures arising from association and relief. Correspondingly, pains include those arising from privation, the senses, awkwardness, enmity, an ill-name, piety, benevolence, malevolence, memory, imagination, expectation, and pains dependent on association. These concepts take shape within the interactive sphere of human relationships.
The components of pleasure in Bentham’s framework can be aligned with administrative matters through the following indicators. These indicators are framed within the general principles of administrative law, ensuring that their implementation does not require changes to the existing legislative system. First, the component related to preventing pain and arbitrary action is supported by the principle of prohibiting decision-making based on caprice. This is put into practice through the principle of demanding minimum documentation, the principle of the validity of any request, the principle of prohibiting excess caution within the framework of the law, the principle of prohibiting the narrow interpretation of legal authority, the principle of transparency in administrative approvals, and the principle of granting job-related privileges to employees.
Second, the component of possession is addressed by the principle of exercising authority in accordance with the will of the applicant. Third, the component of skill corresponds to the principle of meritocracy and the principle of professionalism. Fourth, the component of amity is reflected in the principle of aligning the private interest of the applicant with the public interest, which guides the transition from strict formal justice to administrative fairness, also known as the principle of fairness-oriented administration. Fifth, the component of a good name is upheld by the principle of comprehensive protection of citizens’ dignity within the administration, the principle of confidentiality, and the principle of anti-corruption. Sixth, the component of benevolence is represented by the principle of equality alongside the acceptance of others. Seventh, the component of expectation is preserved through the principle of not delaying administrative processes, the principle of result orientation, and the principle of access to administrative information. Finally, the component of relief is realized through the principle of fully compensating for all administrative damages and ensuring reparability for those caused by violations of ethical codes.
5. Conclusion
Since the late twentieth century, anti‑corruption initiatives have been central to efforts aimed at improving the relationship between public administration and citizens. Human interactions between officials and citizens have often been viewed as potential sources of corruption and have therefore frequently been evaluated in negative terms. Nevertheless, public administration remains an unavoidable arena for human interaction. Over the years, many proposed reforms of administrative systems have prioritized anti‑corruption measures by seeking to limit or control direct human interaction. As a result, electronic governance was introduced as a mechanism for implementing various anti‑corruption initiatives. In practice, however, the shift to electronic governance has often merely relocated corrupt interactions from administrative offices to external settings rather than eradicating them. Administrative corruption has therefore persisted despite these efforts.
Living a life characterized by pleasure and free from pain is a core element of the public interest. Because the public administration is obligated to act in the public interest, it must ensure that its actions do not diminish citizens’ pleasure or inflict unnecessary pain. Any failure to uphold this duty must be met with proportional sanctions. Guaranteeing these elements of pleasure, and ensuring the practical application of their components within public administration, requires several measures: legalizing the category of pleasure, integrating pleasure and its components into administrative codes of ethics, formulating general legal principles related to pleasure, providing targeted training and administrative supervision, and encouraging the creative implementation of these principles by public employees.