(Exam Paper) UPSC IAS Mains 2009: Public Administration
(Exam Paper) UPSC IAS Mains 2009: Public Administration
Paper- I
Section A
1. Comment on any THREE of the following questions in not more than 200
words each 20 × 3 = 60
(a) “The field of Public Administration is a field of business.” (Woodrow
Wilson).
(b) “New Public Administration is .... a revolution or radicalism in words, and
(at best) status-quo in skills or technologies.”
(c) “Taylor’s contribution was not a set of general principles for organising
work efficiency, but a set of operating procedures that could be employed in
each concrete situation to secure their application.”
(d) “The Barnard-Simon Theory of Organisation is essentially a theory of
motivation.”
2. Answer the following in about 300 words each: 30 × 2 = 60
(a) Consider the statements below:
(i) “Technically, the bureaucracy represents the purest type of legalrational
authority.”
(ii) “Bureaucracy does not represent the only type of legal authority.” Identify
the theoretical context and analyse the above statements.
(b) Which of the model(s) in development administration is/are characterised by
‘Selectivism’, ‘Attainment’ and ‘Polyfunctionalism’ ? Describe the
corresponding theoretical roots and attributes.
3. It is said that “the perspective of public
administration, developed over a century, with a tradition of management of
public institutions and services has received a jolt from the novelty of New
Public Management”.
Bring out the core values, approaches and assumptions of traditional public
administration and show how the New Public Management has attempted to change or
retain them, and to what extent. 60
4. From Woodrow Wilson to Herbert Simon most writers on administration have taken the achievement of efficiency as the central objective. Justify the statement with references to the work of major writers. 60
Section B
5. Attempt any three of the following questions in not more than 200 words
each: 20 × 3 = 60
(a) “There is no doubt the departmentalisation is fraught with complexities.
These are in part technical, in part political.” Discuss.
(b) “Techniques like PERT and CPM help in effective office management.”.
Elaborate.
(c) “... non-western states often, if not always, have unbalanced politics, but
these may not necessarily be bureaucratic politics.” Discuss.
(d) “Yehezkel Dror’s normative models of policy making tend to be academic in
perspective with poor operational utility.” Comment.
6. Consider the statements below:
(a) Self-Help Groups (SHGs) enable women to realise their full potential in
some spheres of life.
(b) Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are providing avenues of political mobilisation.
Examine the implications of these two statements and assess the potential of
SHGs for development. 60
7. It is said that ‘position classification’, as originally conceived is sound in terms of its operational characteristics, but complicated and unresponsive in practice. Why is it still considered better than other models of civil service classification ? 60
8. “... even if policies are well-organized, efficiently operated, widely utilized, adequately financed and supported, we may still ask, so what ? Do they work ? ... What about their costs, outputs and imact ?” Discuss. 60
Paper- II
Section A
1. Attempt any three of the following in not more than 200 words each : 3
× 20 = 60
(a) “Bureaucracy developed by the British stifled the village self-rule.”
Comment.
(b) Comment on the view that despite different contexts, administrative maxims
of Kautilya’s Arthashastra bear considerable similarity with features of Weber’s
ideal bureaucratic model.
(c) “The weakest aspect of Indian administration is the grievance redressal
machinery.” Discuss.
(d) “There is no basic contradiction between Civil Service neutrality and Civil
Service activism.” Comment.
2. (a) “Law and order problems of the twentyfirst century cannot be
tackled through legislations and structures of the nineteenth century.” Give
sugges-tions for transforming the law and order machinery at the State level. 30
(b) “The recommendations of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission on
reforming the Civil Service are radical yet implementable.” Do you agree ? 30
3. (a) Briefly discuss the main recommendations of any two of the
following: 30
(i) Paul Appleby (1953 and 1956)
(ii) Santhanam Committee
(iii) Hota Committee
(iv) Sixth Pay Commission
(b) Examine the role of the Finance Ministry of the Union Government in
designing and implementing monetary and fiscal policies. 30
4. (a) Discuss the relationship between governance and development in
any one Indian State, giving illustrations. 30
(b) Do State Services suffer in comparison with the All-India and Central
Services? Suggest measures for enhancing the role, competence and impact of
State Services. 30
Section B
5. Comment on any three of the following in not more than 200 words each
:20×3=60
(a) “India has failed to devise a long-term strategy for drought
management.”
(b) “A fixed tenure in Civil Service postings can increase productivity,
accountability, and probity in Government.”
(c) “Sound municipal governance requires a cadre of specialized municipal
services executives equal in status to State Services.”
(d) “Administrative talent of a Minister determined his ‘success.”
6. (a) “The respective roles of the Cabinet Secretary
of the Government of India and of the Chief Secretary of a State are similar in
certain respects, and dissimilar in other.” Explain. 30
(b) Do you agree with the view that Citizens’ Charters in India have not
succeeded in their objective of making the administrative system citizencentric
? Analyze and give your suggestions in this regard. 30
7. (a) “The National Human Rights Commission has done
a commendable job in developing a sense of responsibility among organizations
towards the protection of human rights.” Comment on this assessment. 30
(b) In your view, which have been the five most important administrative reforms
implemented after Independence? What has been their impact ? 30
8. (a) “Values of Indian administration must be rooted
in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.” Discuss. 30
(b) “Many of the programmes of development being implemented at the State and
the Local level have been initiated or financed by the Union Government. This
has transformed the nature of Indian federalism.” Critically examine this
assessment. 30
