Strategy of Public Administration Prelims and mains are the two hurdles in the success of civil services. The dynamic nature of the preliminary exam 2011 CSAT has rendered it highly unpredictable in present scenario. These hurdles needs a high command over the following:-TIME MANAGEMENT MATERIAL MANAGEMENT RIGHT DIRECTION The above three aspects vary from General Studies to Optional Subjects, and within optionals -from subject to subject. Following links give a glance over the strategy for public administration. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Given the time constraint, a well-thought out strategy makes the difference between success and failure. Intensive and focused approach built on analysis needs to be scrupulously adhered to. Some ingredients of a 'smart strategy' are: Building a general overview Perusal of question papers of previous years Identification of 'thrust areas' for concentrated pursuit Examination-bias Adequate writing practice for time management and evolving right content Continuous review of performance and appropriate corrections At least two weeks before the examination, writing exercises should be stopped and the entire attention should be on revision. Every candidate appearing for the mains examination should be conversant with the fundamentals of the structure, process, behaviour and environment of the administrative system. It's equally important that the student should be conversant with the contemporary and the current developments of socio-political and economic nature that have a close bearing on the functioning of the administration. For example, changing governors; direct grants to panchayats; economic reforms with a human face; globalisation and administration; second generation reforms and the social infrastructure; right to information and participative development. Amassing information is a big 'don't'. Candidates should be able to identify 'core areas' which cannot be avoided in the context of the mains examination and consolidate. Most importantly, study and writing practice should reinforce each other. Writing practice holds the key to success. It ensures legibility, time management and adherence to word limit. Effective introduction, logical build up and balanced conclusion send the right signals to the evaluator. Every question needs to be studied carefully to understand the exact requirements. For instance, some years ago, in the mains examination, the office of the Prime Minister was given and some took it for Prime Minister's Office. Several times, the questions are general in nature and not direct. For example, criminalisation of politics and politicisation of crime; public sector enterprises are neither public nor enterprises; recruitment of recruiters needs to be streamlined and planning in India needs to be depoliticised. For short questions, answers should be direct and precise. In a long essay, introduction should be appealing and effective. Elaboration of the theme should be properly prioritised. Sequencing should be done in such a manner that one paragraph logically follows from another. Depending upon the paper I or II, apt illustrations add value. While answering a question on welfare administration, the concept of welfare needs to be supplemented with the initiatives undertaken by the government highlighting the different types of programmes, the coverage and the resource profile. Unlike general studies, public administration requires interpretative skills, ability to correlate theory and practice; and synchronise conventional with the current. For example, presidential activism in India; budget as an instrument of socio-economic transformation; citizen-administration interface and e-governance; regulation and development; development and delivery models. Public Administration Why public administration? The basic reason lies in the interdisciplinary nature and non-technical content of the subject matter. The subject has lot of practical significance and this makes it more interesting and understandable even to those students, who are completely newcomers in the field of Public Administration. At the same time every candidate has some basic knowledge of what administrative system is. Public Administration is pragmatic in nature dealing also with Indian Administrative System, which facilitates the success of candidates at each and every stage of examination, that is, Preliminary, Mains and Interview. As compared to other social sciences, humanities, Public Administration is more dependable and manageable within a specified time period subject to the condition that a systematic approach is adopted during the course of preparation to meet the requirements of the examination. Public Administration for Mains As far as the syllabus for the Main Examination is concerned, it is divided into two parts. Paper I deals with Administrative Theories while Paper II focuses on Indian Administration. The advantage of Public Administration over the other optionals is that most of Indian Administration has close proximity to Indian Polity in General Studies Paper I. The foundation is similar for both Indian Polity and Indian Administration, i.e. Indian Constitution. Paper I Paper – I deals with Administrative Theories and the relevant material include the following. For the first chapter i.e. Introduction to the Study of Public Administration, the basic books are Public Administration by Avasthi and Maheswari, Sadhana and Sharma and Fadia and Fadia. Candidates can follow either of the above books. Apart from them New Horizons of Public Administration by Mohit Bhattacharya is extremely important for Paper – I. As far as the Theories of Administration is concerned, Administrative Thinkers by Prasad and Prasad should provide deep understanding and in-depth analysis. For Comparative and Development Administration, Comparative Public Administration by R K Arora is the best material. For Financial Administration, apart from regular books, one should have deep understanding about the working of Indian Economy and in this regard Economic Survey by the Government of India. Added to that, some chapters in Indian Economy by Dutt and Sundaram are also important. Paper II As far as the Indian Administration is concerned, we can say that there is no authentic book on Indian Administration. Indian Administration by Rajani Goyal and Arora provides the basic material required for the examination but it alone is not sufficient. Students are expected to have an in-depth knowledge about the happenings in the Indian Polity since independence. Regular reading of newspapers, journals like India Today and Yojana can help the candidates to develop the outlook required for the examination. Quarterly Journals published by Indian Institute of Public Administration are sources of valuable information about Indian Administration. Reports of Administrative Reforms Commissions, Central Information Commission, and Supreme Court’s judgments on Police Reforms, Planning Commission Reports, and Annual Reports of Department of Public Sector Undertakings are extremely important from the examination point of view. Preparation for the Mains The integrated approach to the completion of syllabus is always desirable. The main examination is generally considered to be highly subjective in nature. But through objective preparation the zone of subjectivity can be reduced to a great extent. Conceptual topics, like Theories of Administration, Administrative Behaviour, Comparative and Development Administration, require extra effort but are scoring at the same time. Comments, statements and observations by eminent thinkers, scholars and administrators should be analyzed with due emphasis to grasp their substantive meaning. topics, to gain conceptual clarity and to bring out the linkages between various theories. Preparation should be on simultaneously for both the papers as there are many topics which are common in both the papers. For example, Administrative Reforms, Financial Administration, Public Policy, Development Administration and Personnel Administration are common for both the papers How to present answers? On completion of the textual readings, writing practice is must. Try to attempt the answers in an orderly, effective and exact expression, combined with due economy of words. In comment type questions your attempt should be to answer well within the prescribed limits. For medium and major questions the answers should be written in about 300 and 500-700 words respectively. 10 Rules for Public Administration Here are ten golden rules for all students of Public Ad. Whether studying for preliminaries or main s, whether studying about administrative thinkers or Indian Administration: 1) Analyze what you KNOW and not what have you know. 2) Read less, remember more. 3) Administrative thinkers thought everything for you so you don't have to think about outsmarting them. Remember,whenever your "bounded rationality" coincides or collides with theirs, U.P.S.C. will always prefer their point of view over yours. 4) Don't over-rationalize. Never Under-rationalize (over-rationalize if you have to) 6) Indian Polity is a triple-edged sword. Don't underestimate. 7) Popular quotations are all the jazz, remember as many as you can. 8) Some relatively lesser known but nevertheless good books are: Newstrom (Organizational Beh aviour), Sapru (Administrative theories), Chopra (Unique) etc. 9) Read a little about political philosophy (Andrew Hacker) and comparative governments (Stiner), it always helps with the basics. 10) REVISE, REMEMBER, REPEAT. Public Administration Syllabus for Preliminary Examination 1. Introduction : Meaning, scope and significance. Evolution and status of the discipline. Comparative Public Administration and Development Administration. Public and Private Administration: State versus market debate. New Pubic Administration. New Public Management perspective. 2. Basic concepts and principles : Organisation, hierarchy, Unity of command, Span of control, Authority and Responsibility, Co-ordination, Centralization and Decentralization, Delegation, Supervision, Line and Staff. 3. Theories of Administration : Scientific Management (Taylor and the Scientific Managment Movement), Classical Theory (Fayol, Urwick, Gulick and others) Bureaucratic Theory (Weber and his critics). Ideas of Mary Parker Follett and C.I. Barnard; Human Relations School (Elton Mayo and others). Behavioral Approach, Systems approach. 4. Administrative Behaviour : Decision making with special reference to H. Simon, communication and control, leadership theories. Theories of motivation (Maslow and Herzberg) 5. Accountability and Control : The concepts of Accountability and control : Legislative, executive and judicial control. Citizen and Administration: Role of civil society, people's participation and Right to Information. 6. Administrative Systems : Comparative administrative features of USA, Great Britain, France and Japan. 7. Personnel Administration : Role of Civil Service in developing societies; position classification, Recuritment, Training, Promotion, Pay and Service conditions. Relations with the Political Executive; Administrative Ethics. 8. Financial Administration : Budget: Concepts and forms. Formulation and execution of budget, deficit financing and public debt, Accounts and Audit. 9. Union Government and Administration in India. British legacy : Constitutional context of Indian Administration; The President, Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers; Central Secretariat; Cabinet Secretariat, Prime Minister's Office, Planning Commission; Finance Commission; Election Commission; Comptroller and Auditor-General of India. Public enterprises: Patterns, role performance and impact of liberalization. 10. Civil Services in India : Recruitment to All India and Central Services. Union Public Service Commission; Training of Civil Servants. Generalists and Specialists. Minister-Civil Servant relationship. 11. State and District Administration : Governor, Chief Minister, Secretariat, Chief Secretary, Directorates, District Collector: changing role. 12. Local Government : Panchayati Raj and Urban local Government: Main features, structures, finances and problem areas. 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendements. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SYLLABUS FOR MAIN EXAMINATION 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; ‘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, pay and service conditions; employeremployee 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; 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 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. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION STRATEGY Administrative theory : Section -A Theories of Administration: Scientific Management, Human Relations' School, Bureaucratic Theory and Systems Approach -These are all essential theories and students need to focus on critical aspects, which is not there in General Studies (GS). Students need to be exhaustive with their preparation, which should be based on 3Cs -comprehensive, clarity and critical approach. Structure of Public Organisations: In GS, a general approach to public sector is required whereas in Public Administration, the approach to this is actually amplification of government policy. Few years ago, a question in the main stage in the Public Administration paper was, `Welfare obligation of public sector has been abandoned in the era of liberalisation''.This question will never come in GS.The nature of this question is provocative and you need to respond with a positive attitude. Your reply could begin with:''Public sector still fulfil nation's goal of welfare....'' Or, there might be a question which says, ''Since 1967, position of governor has been politicised''. Administrative Behaviour: This topic is a real challenge and students need to be thorough with a concept like motivation. They need to be thorough with atleast three thinkers which include Maslow, Herzberg and Macgregor. They need to make a comparative account of all three of them. The year preceding, a quotation from Macgregor's original book of quotation was given. Accountability and Control: We are in a parliamentary system and students need to be clear about Parliament and its functions. They should read books on governance by Arun Shourie and Bimal Jalan. They also must be conversant on how Parliament functions in all aspects. Section B Administrative Reforms: This is a dynamic area as the emphasis is on technology. Students need to be thorough with legislations like Right to Information, rendering administration through people-centric institutions like panchayats and nagar palikas. Concepts like social auditing and participatory governance need to be studied in detail. Comparative Public Administration: You need to read thinkers like Riggs. Earlier, public administration was centred around Western concepts whereas the focus is now on third world countries like India. Students are expected to be familiar with issues like governance, rural development, privatisation and human rights in Brazil, China and South Africa. Development Administration: Students need to approach this topic with an open mind and with some amount of reading. They need to follow international trends on how technology is impacting administration across third world and elsewhere. This is relevant for India as there is a political dimension to the whole concept as it deals in issues like federalism and decentralisation. It has a dimension of administration where you deal with various aspects like poverty alleviation, empowerment, retraining and administration machinery. Public Policy: It's a challenging topic and students need to be aware about Dror who spoke maximum on issues related to public policy. Students need to be aware of how the country is developing particularly on issues related to disinvestments. Students need to be aware of anti-poverty programmes and how employment-generation schemes have evolved all these years. Financial Administration: This topic is routed in Indian practices. You have issues like Parliament and Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and how do they function but students have to be absolutely clear on these issues.There is premium on latest knowledge like the PM's and finance minister's recent speeches as well. Paper II Indian Administration : Section -A Evolution of Indian Administration: Areas which are crucial include criminalisation of politics and politicisation of crime, President's rule, Federal system in context of coalition government, fiscal and monetary policy. Constitutional framework: President, Parliament and judiciary: These are important but students should not follow the conventional mode while preparing for main paper. Questions are generally twisted and they need to muster facts while giving right interpretation. Like in GS, the questions will deal with discretionary power of Governor (Article 116) whereas for public Administration, they might ask, ''Governor is an agent of centre''. Similarly in GS, the question might be based on Panchayati Raj System based on 73rd amendment. In Public Administration, they might ask, ''Panchayats are not development delivery vehicle, they are an independent tier of governance in true Gandhian spirit''. Students need to read national dailies to prepare for these kind of topics. Union Government and Administration: The focus is on Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Cabinet Secretariat. The PMO has acquired enormous importance during the last three to four decade. Students should focus on how the relationship between PMO and Cabinet Secretariat has evolved under these c i rc u m s t a n ce s. Newspapers and journals should be good source of information on this issue. State Government and Administration: Students need to be thorough with the Sarkaria Commission's report on Centre-State relations and National Commission to Review the Working of Constitution report which was submitted in 2002 District Administration and Local Government: The changing role of collector vis-a-vis technology, District Rural Development Authority, District Development Authority, structure of panchayats and nagar palikas. There should focus on on issues like Right to Information, Cyber Governance. Section B Public Services: There should be focus on UPSC, State Public Service Commissions and how ''recruiters should be properly recruited''. The constitutional aspect and functions of these institutions need to be studied. Control of Public Expenditure: Sections like Parliament and CAG have already been dealt in paper I. They need to further focus on Public Interest Litigation, judicial activism which includes extra ordinary intervention by Supreme Court and High Courts in order to restore dwindling public faith in system because of declining public morality at highest level. Administrative Reforms: Queries on Right to Information, social audit, panchayati raj, Voluntary R e t i re m e n t Schemes are part of the administrative reforms. Machinery for Planning: Student need to focus on Planning Commission and how the role has changed during all these years. They need to find out that whether Planning Commission should be merged with Finance Commission in the context of liberalisation. Students can gather information from national newspapers, periodical and journals. Administration of Law and Order: The role of central and state agencies in the maintenance of law and order and articles published on these issues should be given top priority Welfare Administration: This is an evolving area and there is no specific reading material available on this issue. Students need to go through annual report of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Writing: Application is the key while writing this paper. Avoid jargon and abbreviation, be precise. Premium is on accuracy, insightfulness and application. Public Administration Books for IAS Reference Books For Preliminary Examination Pub AD 1. Indian Administration -Ramesh K. Arora & Rajni Goyal. 2. Indian Administration -S.R. Maheswari. 3. Administrative Theory -Avasti & Avasti 4. Public Administration -Avasti & Maheswari. 5. Administrative Thinkers -R. Prasad and Prasad. 6. Administrative Thinkers -S.R. Maheswari. 7. Public Administration -Sadan and Sharma 8. Local Government -S.R. Maheswari. 9. New Horizons of Public Administration -Mohit Bhattacharya. 10. Public Administration Theory and concepts -Rumki Basu 11. Public Administration (Manual) (TATA MC Graw Hill) -Laxmikanth. 12. Indian Constitution -D.D. Basup (or) Pandey. 13. Public Administration and Public Affairs -Nicholas Henry. 14. Modern Public Administration -Nigro and Nigro. General Reference Books for Public Administration To put the subject in its proper context the historical development (evolution of public administration discipline) of the subject should be studied with great emphasis. Public administration in theory and practice -M.P. Sharma and B.L Sadan Public administration -Mohit Bhattacharya Modern public administration -Nigro and Nigro Theories and principles of administration : Administrative thinkers – Prasad & Prasad Principles of management -Terry and Frankline Administrative Behaviors: Managing organizational behavior -Paul Hersey & Kenneth Blanchard Personal Administration -Public personal administration -O. Glennstal Financial administration: Financial administration of India -M.J.K. Thavaray Comparative administration : public administration a comparative perspective -Ferrel Heady or Comparative public administration -Ramesh Control over administration : Public administration -Avasthi & Maheswari Central administration in India: Central administration -A. Avasthi Civil Services in India : Indian administration -S.R. Maheswari, State District and local administration: State administration -J.D. Shukla District administration --S. S. Khera Local Government in India -S.R. Maheshwari Laxmikant's guide (for clearing conepts) IGNOU Study Materials IJPA articles on relevant topics Current News Papers PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PAPER ANALYSIS 2010 Paper-1 Overall Topicwise Breakup Thinkers, theories etc 120 Development administration 80 Organizations 60 Accountability and control 60 Comparative Pub.Ad 20 Policy making 60 Personnel administration 100 Finance 20 Thinkers & Theories Mc gregor’s view, the managerial cosmology meaningfully addresses the understanding of manager & his role perceptions. Explain 20 The successful management leaders are found in likert’s system-4 approach to organizational leadership examine 20 The study of administration should start from the base of management rather than the foundation of law explain 20 simon’s identifying decision-making as the core field of public administration appears logically acceptable but his positivist underpinning is problematic. Critically examine the statement . 40 new public management is dead; long live digital era of governance 20Development Administration not merely governance but good governance is the key factor in achieving the UN millennium goals 2000 20 concept of development is multi-dimensional & ever-expanding explain 20 management has become the new icon of developmetalism 20 do you think that there is a sort of paradox between e-governance & good governance 20 Organizations explain the impact of privatization on public administration with special reference to : the issue of user fees public-private partnership outstanding technique 60 Accountability and control basic principles underlying citizen’s charter with special reference to: 20×3 = 60 its administrative philosophy promoting public accountability ensuring standards of public service. 60 Comparative Public Administration prismatic model of riggs is equally applicable to developing as well as developed society. Comment 20 Policy Making prismatic model of riggs is equally applicable to developing as well as developed society. Comment 20 p.a. can be portrayed as wheel of relationship focused on the formulation & implementation of public policy. Explain 20 cost benefit analysis is a very unsatisfactory view of evaluating public policy 20 Personnel Administration explain the peter principle in respect of promotion policy in a hierarchical organization 20 discuss in this connection (Peter Principle) the case dor & against promotion based on seniority 40 distinguish fully between the syndicate method, role playing method & T-group training method in personnel management 40 discuss the principles of ensuring ethics in public service as recommended in the Nolan committee report 1994 20 Financial Administration distinguish between PPBS & performance budget 20 Observations: Paper 1 You’ve to answer totally 5 questions out of 7 questions (5x 60 marks =300 Marks) you know Q#1 and #5 are compulsory so no escape from that. Paper is divided into two sections (A and B) and you’ve to at least attempt one question from each. Section-wise breakup (Paper-1) Section Question 1 Thinkers, Theory Compulsor y 2 NPA + Herbert A. Simon 3 Organizations (PPP) A 4 Accountability 5 D.A,CPA, Policy Compulsor y 6 Personnel only! B 7 Mixed bag of Personnel, Finance, E-gov 1. Thinkers and theories-the usual static stuff (after all what new can you ask from ‘history’!). But as NPA, NPM not given so much importance like they were given in 2009. 2. Citizen’s carter, its getting so clichéd like Sas-Bahu serials. -there were questions last years too. 3. The trend of asking a ‘big thinker’ for 40 marks is continued, last year it was Taylor so this year its Herbert A. Simon. May be it’ll be M.P.Follet or C.I. Barnard’s turn in 2011. 4. Mcgregor and Likert are ‘small-time thinkers’ so they get only 20 marks worth question each as per their ‘aukaat’ but it was in Compulsory Question #1. 5. Thankfully no ‘quotes’ were asked (to show that UPSC now puts more emphasis on ‘understanding’ rather ‘cramming’ but then why was UPSC sleeping all these years!). 6. In the early 90’s there was a trend: In GS paper they’d always ask about Tagore and his nationalist thoughts, like there was no one else to ask about. May be because all the GS History questions were set by same examiner for 3-4 years constantly. I’m seeing something similar here. 7. Public Administration papers become more relevant to the contemporary issues: that’s why much weightage is given to Development administration, and personnel administration. 8. No question from Tech. for Administrative improvement (That PERT, CPM stuff). There was question on E-governance but you’ve to prepare it even for Development administration, Essay and GS portion. 9. CPA was for namesake only! But was in compulsory #5 10. Question from Financial administration asked only for namesake formality! I was expecting a lot from this, given the fiscal deficit, 3G auction and GST issues in current affairs and the general emphasis given to economy related topics both in GS mains and prelims. But may be coaching classes had put heavy emphasis on this, that’s why UPSC ignored it like Chandrayaan last year. 11. As usual the questions are designed in such a way that whole (boring) Public-Policy topic can be safely skipped: just the way coaching classes like it. But CSAT-2011 ‘syllabus has public-policy as a topic, so it might not be the same trend next year. 12. Thankfully no SHG (Self-Help group) questions. Material is hard to compile! Coaching classes & Paper 1. Most coaching class ‘sirs’, teach on the basic principle that certain topics in optional subjects, can be safely ignored (Public Policy and Development administration): may be because those sirs themselves don’t understand these topics well and material is hard to compile and they put heavy emphasis on Thinkers and Accountability part. Just like they do to History part in GS papers. I think someday UPSC going to run a bulldozer on that trend, like they did with History (GS) this year. Paper 2 Overall PSU 20 Rural 20 Urban 20 Planning 30 Evolution 50 Civil services 50 Reforms 60 Issues in Administration 60 Finance 70 Polity 100 Evolution of Indian Administration rule of kings depend primarily on written orders….. “ why did kautilya favor codification of laws? 20 it is said that the british made a significant contribution towards modernizing the Indian administrative system on rational-legal basis. Justify the assessment with reference to the period from 1830-1865 30 Polity does the emergence of an empowered group of ministers at the central level impair the doctrine of cabinet responsibility? 20 in an era of hung parliaments the power of the president expands, more so when the incumbent decides to be assertive. Comment on the statement with reference to the situation in India during the last two decades. 30 judges & courts have creatively reinterpreted this statutory authority & expanded their own power & enhanced their standing vis-à-vis the legislature & executive critically examine this assessment 30 public interest litigation (PIL) has undergone several changes since its inception in 1980s. 20 PSU is it correct to state that one of the major reasons for the failure of many……public sector undertakings was due to departures from the original concept of autonomy? 20 Civil services more developed an administrative system because the grater the likelihood that it would that it would have development effects. 15 thrust of development administration failed to energies the Indian bureaucracy 15 civil service neutrality is a fiction. How many thinking person can be neutral? 20 Administrative reforms with reference to India , discuss the assertion that administrative reforms are multidimennsiona & need to be substantiated by reforms in other related areas of state action. 30 the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission in its 10th report, observes that the common perception is that the incentive structure in government is too weak & inadequate to motivate better performance 30 Financial Management prevalence of multiple channels for transfer of resources from the center to the states is stated to have compounded the problems of federal fiscal arrangements. Discuss 30 states with record of good governance, it is argued by spokesperson of some states, lost their earlier share from the finance commissioner’s award. 20 optimism expressed by proponents of the financial responsibility & budget management act 2003, in ensuring fiscal discipline appears to be unwanted 20 Plans and Priorities planning commission is an armchair advisor 15 planning commission should reinvent itself a systems reforms commission in the backdrop of changed global domestic scenario. 15 Rural Development non-government organizations play a catalytic role in enabling communities to define their own priorities. 20 Urban Local Government Jawaharlal National Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM) is one of the biggest reformslinnke develop programmes taken upt by the government. 20 Significant issues in Indian Administration it is argued that the Bhopal gas disaster & the response pattern to it reflect multiple 30vulnerabilities relating to system of corporate social responsibility, governance at local state & central levels, legal safeguards liabilities. Comment on this assessment. (you can put this in disaster Management as well) creation of new regulatory agencies in the wake of liberalization, overlapping jurisdiction & conflicts became the new trend. Is there need for the creation of a superregullatorunified regulator? 30 Section wise Breakup (Paper-2) Section Question 1 Polity, PSU,Kautilya Compulsor y 2 British Administration + Civil services today 3 Reform + Finance A 4 Polity only (that too, only static part!) Relief! 5 Mixed bag : Polity, Finance and Civil services Compulsor y 6 Planning Commission + 2nd ARC B 7 Mixed bag: Rural, Urban and Financial 8 Disaster + Administrative Adjudication