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I will be writing the UPSC Mains this year, hopefully; I'll be sure only when the Prelims results are out. Here are some basics that I am going through as part of my studies for the Mains that will help those who wish to appear for the exam. It is very rigorous and if you wish to appear for it next year you need to start preparing right away. There is no need to spend 10-14 hours studying, just maintain a consistent approach, build  awareness of the world around you and spend time in systematic coverage of the syllabus. The rest is easy. :D

Exams like UPSC are meant to recruit those who have the ability and personality to be public administrators, and in essence, public servants. Those preparing, already have some knowledge of the prestige associated with these posts but one also needs to remember that IAS officials are just cogs in a wheel. They get an opportunity to shine when the need arises, however, it is important for them to know what to do and how to do it right, since the responsibility of running the administration of a whole society depends on them.

So let's get down to preparing for this test. And I hope to see many of you as my colleagues in the near future. :)


Public administration has been described by many as a discipline but more importantly it is also an activity. It is the action part of the government. Since all of the government's decisions regarding our day to day administration like building hospitals and roads, engaging police to maintain law and order and even deciding which new social sector programmes to launch in order to help the poor and underpriviledged are visible to all, we all know what public administration basically means.

Not only is public administration very visible, it is also quite complex. Each new initiative be it in the manufacturing sector, rural development schemes or provision for health and sanitation for the urban poor, the government has a wide role to play in deciding which ones to take on itself and which ones to entrust on private enterprises through PPPs.

To be able to decide which initiatives are likely to benefit the majority, the government officials need to be aware of the needs and aspirations of the people they are meant to administer and serve. This requires a deep understanding of the diversities in contexts at different places, in different situations with different populations. For example, work for the rural poor through MGNREGS in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan will be significantly different from the work done by villagers in Burdwan district of West Bengal. Therefore, a comparative study of public administrative methods, though beneficial, has to be modified to suit local requirements.

Besides these, the work of a public administrator is always open to scrutiny by oversight bodies. There is, therefore, a need to maintain balance in administering the people and being open to suggestions and public opinion. The government is accountable to the people for all of its policy decisions and the rise of civil society groups in recent years and legislation like the RTI Act has lent transparency to government activities and provided a platform for the public to voice their opinions.

The task of transforming India into a global player though massive, is inspiring, and those wishing to join the services need to remember that the administrators are to be the catalysts of change, taking India forward from her roots.

Syllabus for Public Administration Optional

Here is the syllabus for those appearing for the Indian Civil Services Exam with Public Administration as an Optional

PAPER – I

Administrative 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 Modern.


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; ‘Antidevelopment 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, pay 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’s 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; Intragovernmental 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; Unionstate-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; Globallocal 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 paramilitary 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.