1950s. From rule + bounded + -ness, apparently after German Regelgebundenheit, lit. ‘the quality or fact of being rule-bound’, and Regelhaftigkeit, lit. ‘the quality or fact of following a rule’.
Definition of rule-boundedness in US English:
rule-boundedness
nounˌruːlˈbaʊndɪdnɪs
The quality or fact of being rule-bound.
Origin
1950s. From rule + bounded + -ness, apparently after German Regelgebundenheit, lit. ‘the quality or fact of being rule-bound’, and Regelhaftigkeit, lit. ‘the quality or fact of following a rule’.