Public Administration - UPSC CSE Mains Optional

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

PAPER-I 

Administration Theory 

1. Introduction : 

Meaning, scope and significance of Public Administration, Wilson’s vision of Public  Administration, Evolution of the discipline and its present status. New Public Administration, Public Choice approach; Challenges of liberalization, Privatisation, Globalisation; Good Governance: concept and application; New Public Management. 

2. Administrative Thought : 

Scientific Management and Scientific Management movement; Classical Theory; Weber’s 

bureaucratic model its critique and post-Weberian Developments; Dynamic Administration (Mary 

Parker Follett); Human Relations School (Elton Mayo and others); Functions of the Executive (C.I. 

Barnard); Simon’s decision-making theory; Participative Management (R. Likert, C. Argyris, D. 

McGregor.) 

3. Administrative Behaviour : 

Process and techniques of decision-making; Communication; Morale; Motivation Theories 

content, process and contemporary; Theories of Leadership: Traditional and Modem: 

4. Organisations : 

Theories systems, contingency; Structure and forms: Ministries and Departments, 

Corporations, Companies; Boards and Commissions; Ad hoc, and advisory bodies; Headquarters 

and Field relationships; Regulatory Authorities; Public-Private Partnerships. 

5. Accountability and Control : 

Concepts of accountability and control; Legislative, Executive and judicial control over 

administration; Citizen and Administration; Role of media, interest groups, voluntary 

organizations; Civil society; Citizen’s Charters; Right to Information; Social audit. 

6. Administrative Law : 

Meaning, scope and significance; Dicey on Administrative law; Delegated legislation; 

Administrative Tribunals. 

7. Comparative Public Administration : 

Historical and sociological factors affecting administrative systems; Administration and 

politics in different countries; Current status of Comparative Public Administration; Ecology and 

administration; Riggsian models and their  

critique. 

8. Development Dynamics : 

Concept of development; Changing profile of development administration; ‘Anti-development 

thesis’; Bureaucracy and development; Strong state versus the market debate; Impact of 

liberalisation on administration in developing countries; Women and development the self-help 

group movement. 

9. Personnel Administration : 

Importance of human resource development; Recruitment, training, career advancement, 

position classification, discipline, performance appraisal, promotion, pray and service conditions; 

employer-employee relations, grievance redressal mechanism; Code of conduct; Administrative 

ethics. 

10. Public Policy : 

Models of policy-making and their critique; Processes of conceptualisation, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review and their limitations; State theories and public policy formulation. 

11. Techniques of Administrative Improvement : 

Organisation and methods, Work study and work management; e-governance and information technology; Management aid tools like network analysis, MIS, PERT, CPM. 

12. Financial Administration : 

Monetary and fiscal policies: Public borrowings and public debt Budgets types and forms; Budgetary process; Financial accountability; Accounts and audit.

     PAPER‐II

Indian Administration 

1. Evolution of Indian Administration : 

Kautilya Arthashastra; Mughal administration; Legacy of British rule in politics and administration Indianization of Public services, revenue administration, district Administration, local self Government. . 

2. Philosophical and Constitutional framework of Government : 

Salient features and value premises; Constitutionalism; Political culture; Bureaucracy and democracy; Bureaucracy and development. 

3. Public Sector Undertakings : 

Public sector in modern India; Forms of Public Sector Undertakings; Problems of autonomy, accountability and control; Impact of liberalization and privatization. 

4. Union Government and Administration : 

Executive, Parliament, Judiciary-structure, functions, work processes; Recent trends; Intra-governmental relations; Cabinet Secretariat; Prime Minister’s Office; Central Secretariat; Ministries and Departments; Boards; Commissions; Attached offices; Field organizations. 

5. Plans and Priorities : 

Machinery of planning; Role, composition and functions of the Planning Commission and the National Development Council; ‘Indicative’ planning; Process of plan formulation at Union and State levels; Constitutional Amendments (1992) and decentralized planning for economic development and social justice. 

6. State Government and Administration : 

Union-State administrative, legislative and financial relations; Role of the Finance Commission; Governor; Chief Minister; Council of Ministers; Chief Secretary; State Secretariat; Directorates. 

7. District Administration since Independence :

Changing role of the Collector; Union-State-local relations; Imperatives of development management and law and order administration; District administration and democratic decentralization. 

8. Civil Services : 

Constitutional position; Structure, recruitment, training and capacity building; Good governance initiatives; Code of conduct and discipline; Staff associations; Political rights; Grievance redressal mechanism; Civil service neutrality; Civil service activism. 

9. Financial Management : 

Budget as a political instrument; Parliamentary control of public expenditure; Role of finance ministry in monetary and fiscal area; Accounting techniques; Audit; Role of Controller General of Accounts and Comptroller and Auditor  General of India. 

10. Administrative Reforms since Independence : 

Major concerns; Important Committees and Commissions; Reforms in financial management and human resource development; Problems of implementation. 

11. Rural Development : 

Institutions and agencies since Independence; Rural development programmes: foci and strategies; Decentralization and Panchayati Raj; 73rd Constitutional amendment. 

12. Urban Local Government : 

Municipal governance: main features, structures, finance and problem areas; 74th Constitutional Amendment; Global-local debate; New localism; Development dynamics, politics and administration with special reference to city management. 

13. Law and Order Administration: 

British legacy; National Police Commission; Investigative agencies; Role of Central and State Agencies including para military forces in maintenance of law and order and countering insurgency and terrorism; Criminalisation of politics and administration; Police-public relations; Reforms in Police. 

14. Significant issues in Indian Administration: 

Values in public service; Regulatory Commissions; National Human Rights Commission; Problems of administration in coalition regimes; Citizen administration interface; Corruption and administration; Disaster management.

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