(Exam Paper) UPSC IAS Mains 2008: Public Administration
(Exam Paper) UPSC IAS Mains 2008: Public Administration
Paper- I
Section A
1. Answer any three of the following questions in not more than 200 words each: 20 × 3 = 60
(a) “Calling Woodrow Wilson, the father of Public Administration is doing
injustice to equally or even more eminent contributions made prior to him.”
Comment.
(b) “Leaders do the right things; managers do them rightly.” (Bennis) Comment.
(c) “Mary Parker Follett was far ahead of her times.” Discuss.
(d) “Instruments of public accountability can be truly effective only if the
people and their associations, backed by a responsible media, are assertively
pro-active.” Comment.
2. “In the last two decades, almost all countries of the world have experienced transformations in their administrative systems.” Explain this phenomenon with examples from the developed and the developing nations in the context of New Public Management Movement. 60
3. Examine the respective roles of facts and values in the decision-making process. Is it possible to make value-free decisions in government system ? How can government decisions be made more rational ? 60
4. “To claim that a company or a corporation form is always more effective than a departmental form of organization is an outdated view. The real test of a sound structure is its capacity to balance decisional autonomy and operational flexibility with optimal accountability.” Critically examine this statement. 60
Section B
5. Answer any three of the following questions in not more than 200 words
each: 20 × 3 = 60
(a) “Laxity in monitoring and evaluation can render even the best policies
infructuous.” Discuss.
(b) “e-governance has the potentiality to emerge as the most effective
instrument of efficiency, transparency and accountability.” Comment.
(c) “Truly comparative administrative studies are empirical, nomothetic and
ecological.” (Riggs) In this perspective, examine the current status of
Comparative Public Administration.
(d) “Training has proved its incapacity to change the attitudes, behaviour and
values of civil servants.” Do you agree with this statement ?
6. “To talk of administrative modernization and still continue with
the conventional practice of public personnel administration is a gross
incongruity.” Offer suggestions to initiate radical reforms in Human Resource
Management of public administrative systems. 60
7. “Good economics and bad politics cannot coexist in a sound budgetary
process.” Discuss this statement in the context of the developmental challenges
in countries experiencing competitive politics. 60
8. “In certain discourses, there is a reflected basic distrust against bureaucracy as an instrument of development.” Do you think bureaucracy is more appropriate for regulatory administration than for development administration ? In the changing profile of development administration in a liberalizing environment, what role of bureaucracy can be envisaged ? 60
Paper- II
Section A
1. Answer any three of the following in not more that 200 words each : 20
× 3 = 60
(a) ‘The shift from the Nehruvian to the liberalisation model of development
has necessitated reinventing government.’ Comment.
(b) ‘Economic Development and Social justice are the hallmarks of the 1992
Constitutional Amendment Acts.’ Elucidate.
(c) ‘District Administration is like a small tortoise carrying the load of an
elephant.’ Discuss.
(d) ‘Some features of Mughal Administration, in essence, do exist in Indian
Administration.’ .’ Elaborate.
2. There is constant and continuous collision between bureaucratic values and democratic values which adversely affects development. In the light of this statement examine the role of bureaucracy in development. 60
3. (a) What are the tension areas in Union-State relations in Planning
?
(b) Discuss the problems in the planning process at the state and sub-state
levels. 30 + 30 = 60
4. ‘The Chief Minister is the real executive of the State, whose effectiveness is largely related to his personality traits and equation with central leadership.’ Explain and illustrate with relevant examples. 60
Section B
5. Answer any three of the following in not more than 200 words each : 20
× 3 = 60
(a) In urban governance, uni-functional agencies and development authorities
create a “functional jungle.” Explain.
(b) ‘In India, there appears to be more disaster of management than management
of disaster.’ Comment.
(c) ‘The Budget is more than the economic horoscope of the nation.’ Comment.
(d) ‘Right to Information Act has led to greater transparency and accountability
of administration.’ Comment.
6. (a) ‘Training of civil servants for capacity building should be in
consonance with the needs of the socio-economic and technological development of
the country.’ Explain.
(b) What are the basic hurdles and pitfalls in the implementation of the
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ? 30 + 30 = 60
7. Describe the changing character and new orientations of Public Services in India since Independence. 60
8. New Localism is identified with the new LocalState and local activism. Examine how this has impacted city management in India. 60
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