Public administration — in Spanish and Italian.

Definition

The bodies that carry out government functions.

Spanish and Italian equivalents

In Spanish, Public administration is rendered as Administración pública; in Italian, as Pubblica amministrazione. Spanish equivalents follow Argentine (Rioplatense) usage where it differs from European Spanish. In a certified translation the equivalent is chosen for the target jurisdiction; where the concept has no exact counterpart, the source term is kept alongside a functional explanation.

Translating Constitutional & Administrative Law terminology

Public-law vocabulary is shaped by each country's institutions. Spanish and Italian administrative law is a full branch of its own, with a separate contentious-administrative jurisdiction (jurisdicción contencioso-administrativa, giustizia amministrativa before the TAR and the Consiglio di Stato) and instruments — recurso de amparo, ricorso straordinario, silencio administrativo — that U.S. practice does not know. Certified translations of administrative decisions, permits and appeals keep the names of the authorities and remedies in the original, followed by a functional English description.

Related terms in Constitutional & Administrative Law

• Constitution — Constitución
• Constitutional right — Derecho constitucional
• Fundamental rights — Derechos fundamentales
• Human rights — Derechos humanos
• Rule of law — Estado de derecho
• Separation of powers — División de poderes
• Due process — Debido proceso
• Equality before the law — Igualdad ante la ley
• Sovereignty — Soberanía
• Citizenship — Ciudadanía / Nacionalidad
• Suffrage / Right to vote — Sufragio / Derecho al voto
• Referendum — Referéndum / Consulta popular
• Legislation / Statute — Ley
• Decree — Decreto
• Regulation — Reglamento / Decreto reglamentario
• Bill (draft law) — Proyecto de ley
• Judicial review / Constitutionality — Control de constitucionalidad
• Unconstitutionality — Inconstitucionalidad
• Habeas corpus — Habeas corpus
• Amparo / Constitutional protection — Amparo
• Administrative act — Acto administrativo
• Administrative procedure — Procedimiento administrativo
• Public official — Funcionario público
• Administrative appeal — Recurso administrativo
• Public procurement — Contratación pública / Licitación
• License / Permit — Licencia / Permiso / Habilitación
• Concession — Concesión
• Sanction / Administrative penalty — Sanción administrativa
• Public interest — Interés público
• Legislature / Parliament — Poder Legislativo / Congreso
• Executive (branch) — Poder Ejecutivo
• Judiciary — Poder Judicial
• Freedom of expression — Libertad de expresión
• Decree of necessity — Decreto de necesidad y urgencia (DNU)
• Federalism — Federalismo
• Public hearing — Audiencia pública
• Eminent domain (takings) — Expropiación por utilidad pública

Browse the full Constitutional & Administrative Law area, return to the dictionary index, or search all 712 terms in the interactive dictionary (also available as a PDF).

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This page is for general orientation only. It is not legal advice and does not substitute for advice from licensed counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Terminology varies between countries and between civil-law and common-law systems; the equivalents shown here are the most common in cross-border practice.