UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Public Administration | Public Administration Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Public Administration is a popular optional subject for the UPSC Civil Services Examination due to its relevance to governance, administration, and policymaking. It encompasses the study of administrative theories, organizational structures, public policy, and the functioning of government systems, particularly in the Indian context. The subject is highly scoring for candidates who have a clear understanding of administrative concepts and their practical applications. Its overlap with General Studies papers, especially GS Paper II (Governance) and GS Paper IV (Ethics), makes it an attractive choice for aspirants.

Why Choose Public Administration as an Optional Subject?

• Relevance to Civil Services: Public Administration provides insights into the functioning of government machinery, which is directly applicable to the roles and responsibilities of civil servants.
• Overlap with General Studies: Topics like governance, bureaucracy, public policy, and ethics have significant overlap with GS Paper II and IV, reducing preparation time.
• Concise Syllabus: The syllabus is well-defined and manageable compared to other optional subjects, allowing focused preparation.
• Scoring Potential: With structured answers and conceptual clarity, candidates can score high marks in this subject.
• Availability of Resources: Abundant study materials, coaching, and test series are available, making it easier to prepare effectively.
• Dynamic and Practical: The subject integrates current administrative practices, governance reforms, and case studies, keeping it engaging and relevant.

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 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
• 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

11. Techniques of Administrative Improvement

• Organisation and methods
• Work study and work management
• e-governance and information technology
• Management aid tools: 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

Previous Year Questions and Papers

• 2024 Questions
• 2023 Questions
• 2022 Questions
• 2021 Questions
• 2020 Questions
• 2019 Questions
• 2018 Questions