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UPSC Public Administration optional syllabus

Both papers of the UPSC Public Administration optional. Here it is in 26 topics and 98 subtopics you can study and tick off one at a time.

Papers
two, both in Mains
Marks
250 each, 500 in all
Time
3 hours each

Contents

Paper I

  1. Introduction
  2. Administrative Thought
  3. Administrative Behaviour
  4. Organisations
  5. Accountability and Control
  6. Administrative Law
  7. Comparative Public Administration
  8. Development Dynamics
  9. Personnel Administration
  10. Public Policy
  11. Techniques of Administrative Improvement
  12. Financial Administration

Paper II

  1. Evolution of Indian Administration
  2. Philosophical and Constitutional Framework of Government
  3. Public Sector Undertakings
  4. Union Government and Administration
  5. Plans and Priorities
  6. State Government and Administration
  7. District Administration since Independence
  8. Civil Services
  9. Financial Management
  10. Administrative Reforms since Independence
  11. Rural Development
  12. Urban Local Government
  13. Law and Order Administration
  14. Significant Issues in Indian Administration

Paper I

Introduction

  1. Meaning, Scope and Significance of Public Administration
  2. Wilson's Vision of Public Administration
  3. Evolution of the Discipline and Its Present Status
  4. New Public Administration and Public Choice Approach
  5. Good Governance and New Public Management

Administrative Thought

  1. Scientific Management (Taylor, Gulick, Urwick)
  2. Human Relations School (Elton Mayo)
  3. Bureaucratic Theory (Max Weber and Critics)
  4. Dynamic Administration (Mary Parker Follett)
  5. Simon's Decision-Making Theory
  6. Participative Management (Likert, McGregor, Argyris)

Administrative Behaviour

  1. Process and Techniques of Decision-Making
  2. Communication in Organizations
  3. Morale and Motivation Theories
  4. Theories of Leadership — Traditional and Modern

Organisations

  1. Systems and Contingency Theories
  2. Structure and Forms — Ministries, Corporations, Boards
  3. Headquarters and Field Relationships
  4. Regulatory Authorities and Public-Private Partnerships

Accountability and Control

  1. Legislative, Executive and Judicial Control over Administration
  2. Citizen and Administration Interface
  3. Role of Media, Interest Groups and Civil Society
  4. Citizen's Charters, RTI and Social Audit

Administrative Law

  1. Meaning, Scope and Significance
  2. Dicey on Administrative Law
  3. Delegated Legislation
  4. Administrative Tribunals

Comparative Public Administration

  1. Historical and Sociological Factors Affecting Administrative Systems
  2. Ecology and Administration
  3. Riggsian Models and Their Critique

Development Dynamics

  1. Concept of Development and Development Administration
  2. 'Anti-Development' Thesis
  3. Bureaucracy and Development
  4. Women and Development — Self-Help Group Movement

Personnel Administration

  1. Human Resource Development in Government
  2. Recruitment, Training and Career Advancement
  3. Performance Appraisal, Promotion and Service Conditions
  4. Employer-Employee Relations and Grievance Redressal
  5. Administrative Ethics and Code of Conduct

Public Policy

  1. Models of Policy-Making and Their Critique
  2. Policy Planning, Implementation and Evaluation
  3. State Theories and Public Policy Formulation

Techniques of Administrative Improvement

  1. Organisation and Methods, Work Study
  2. e-Governance and Information Technology
  3. Management Aid Tools — Network Analysis, MIS, PERT, CPM

Financial Administration

  1. Monetary and Fiscal Policies
  2. Public Borrowings and Public Debt
  3. Budgets — Types, Forms and Budgetary Process
  4. Financial Accountability, Accounts and Audit

Paper II

Evolution of Indian Administration

  1. Kautilya's Arthashastra
  2. Mughal Administration
  3. Legacy of British Rule in Politics and Administration
  4. Administrative Reforms in Colonial India

Philosophical and Constitutional Framework of Government

  1. Salient Features and Value Premises
  2. Constitutionalism and Political Culture
  3. Bureaucracy and Democracy

Public Sector Undertakings

  1. Forms of Public Sector Undertakings
  2. Autonomy, Accountability and Control
  3. Impact of Liberalization and Privatization
  4. Disinvestment Policy

Union Government and Administration

  1. Executive, Parliament and Judiciary — Structure and Functions
  2. Cabinet Secretariat and Prime Minister's Office
  3. Central Secretariat, Ministries and Departments
  4. Boards, Commissions and Field Organisations

Plans and Priorities

  1. Machinery of Planning and NITI Aayog
  2. National Development Council
  3. Decentralized Planning — 73rd/74th Amendments

State Government and Administration

  1. Union-State Administrative, Legislative and Financial Relations
  2. Role of the Finance Commission
  3. Governor, Chief Minister and Council of Ministers
  4. Chief Secretary and State Secretariat

District Administration since Independence

  1. Changing Role of the Collector
  2. Union-State-Local Relations
  3. District Administration and Democratic Decentralisation

Civil Services

  1. Constitutional Position and Structure
  2. Recruitment, Training and Capacity Building
  3. Civil Service Neutrality and Activism
  4. Code of Conduct and Discipline

Financial Management

  1. Budget as a Political Instrument
  2. Parliamentary Control over Public Finance
  3. Role of CGA and CAG
  4. Accounting Techniques and Audit

Administrative Reforms since Independence

  1. Major Committees and Commissions (ARC I & II)
  2. Reforms in Financial Management and HRD
  3. Problems of Implementation

Rural Development

  1. Institutions and Agencies since Independence
  2. Rural Development Programmes — Foci and Strategies
  3. Panchayati Raj and 73rd Amendment

Urban Local Government

  1. Municipal Governance — Structure and Finance
  2. 74th Constitutional Amendment
  3. City Management and Development Dynamics

Law and Order Administration

  1. British Legacy and National Police Commission
  2. Central and State Agencies, Paramilitary Forces
  3. Police-Public Relations and Reforms

Significant Issues in Indian Administration

  1. Values in Public Service
  2. Regulatory Commissions and NHRC
  3. Coalition Politics and Administration
  4. Corruption and Disaster Management

This is Mented's breakdown of the official UPSC syllabus into study-sized subtopics. For the syllabus as notified, see the Civil Services Examination notice on upsc.gov.in.

Other optional subjects

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