Public administration optional subject for UPSC
Public administration is one of the optional subjects with two papers in the UPSC civil service examination. The main stage of the IAS examination has 9 papers and public administration is one out of all the 48 subjects that are given in the optional list. Public administration is an optional subject and is a very popular choice among the candidates who are appearing for the UPSC examination. the popularity of public administration and its implementation in the civil service examination. It is noticeable that the overall score of the IAS aspirant goes up in the UPSC Mains examination if they perform well in the optional examination the notification from UPSC civil service examination consists of the list of all the optional subjects along with their syllabus.
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UPSC public administration optional subject syllabus
Each paper on public administration optional subject is up to 50 marks with a total of 500 marks. Public administration is an optional subject that is known as a scoring subject in the UPSC civil service examination. below you will come to know about the syllabus of UPSC public administration optional subject.
Public administration optional subject paper I
| 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, Privatization, Globalization, Good Governance: concept and application, New Public Management |
| 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). |
| Administrative Behavior | Process and techniques of decision-making, Communication, Morale, Motivation Theories – content, process and contemporary, Theories of Leadership: Traditional and Modern. |
| Organizations | 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 |
| 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 |
| Administrative Law | Meaning, scope, and significance, Dicey on Administrative law, Delegated Legislation, Administrative Tribunals |
| 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 |
| Development Dynamics | Concept of development, Changing profile of development administration, ‘Anti development thesis’, Bureaucracy and development, Strong state versus the market debate, Impact of liberalization on administration in developing countries, Women and development – the self-help group movement. |
| 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. |
| Public Policy | Models of policy-making and their critique, Processes of conceptualization, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review, and their limitations, State theories, and public policy formulation |
| Techniques of Administrative Improvement | Organization and methods, Work study and work management, e-governance and information technology, Management aid tools like network analysis, MIS, PERT, CPM. |
| Financial Administration | Monetary and fiscal policies, Public borrowings and public debt Budgets – types and forms, Budgetary process, Financial accountability, Accounts, and audit. |
Public administration optional subject paper II
| 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 |
| Philosophical and Constitutional framework of government | Salient features and value premises, Constitutionalism, Political culture, Bureaucracy and democracy, Bureaucracy and development |
| Public Sector Undertakings | The public sector in modern India, Forms of Public Sector Undertakings, Problems of autonomy, accountability, and control, Impact of liberalization and privatization |
| Union Government and Administration | Executive, Parliament, Judiciary – structure, functions, work processes, Recent trends, Intergovernmental relations, Cabinet Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office, Central Secretariat, Ministries and Departments, Boards, Commissions, Attached offices, Field organizations. |
| Plans and Priorities | The 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 |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| Civil Services | The 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. |
| Financial Management | Budget as a political instrument, Parliamentary control of public expenditure, Role of finance ministry in the monetary and fiscal area, Accounting techniques, Audit, Role of Controller General of Accounts and Comptroller and Auditor General of India. |
| Administrative Reforms since Independence | Major concerns, Important Committees, and Commissions, Reforms in financial management and human resource development, Problems of implementation. |
| Rural Development | Institutions and agencies since independence, Rural development programs: foci and strategies, Decentralization and Panchayati Raj, 73rd Constitutional amendment. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
How to prepare for the public administration optional subject in UPSC?
to prepare for the public administration optional subject for UPSC examination the candidate should be well prepared as the subject is potentially a very high scoring paper the preparation should be Thoroughly and the candidate should be able to score well in this examination the candidate should solve more questions from the previous year papers of UPSC civil service examination and they should read about the examination so that they can become able to crack the examination. It is advised to the candidates who are appearing for UPSC with public administration as an optional subject to prepare for this subject along with the general studies for the faster and the easier preparation of the examination. Here are some of the steps that a candidate should follow while preparing for the public administration paper:-
- The candidate should make small notes so that they can revise at the time of the examination.
- the candidate should practice answer writing so that they can write answers in a more defined way in the examination.
- the candidate should read the editorials in the Hindu and The Indian express.
- For exclusive and enriched answers the candidate should keep an eye on the second administrative reforms commission reports.
- The candidate should read different blogs that will help them to get the relevant material for the answers.
Booklist for the preparation of public administration optional subject in UPSC
- IGNOU BA and MA Notes
- Administrative Thinkers by Prasad and Prasad
- Essentials of organizational behavior by Stephen Robbins
- Public Administration – Laxmikant
- ARC reports
- New Horizons of Public Administration by Mohit Bhattacharya
- Public Administration And Public Affairs by Nicholas Henry
- Public Policy: Concept, Theory, and Practice by Bidyut Chakrabarty and Prakash Chand
- Important reports from ministries
