Public Administration Mains 2023 : Solved Paper-1 (Question: 8)
Public Administration Mains 2023 : Solved Paper Question Paper-1 (Question-8)
SECTION-B
8.(a) "The management of sound public finances used to be the backbone of administrative systems; but unfortunately, it has become the prisoner of populist policies.” Critically evaluate. 20
Populist policies are those that appeal to the common people by promising to address their grievances, needs, or aspirations, often in contrast to the interests or preferences of the elites, the experts, or the established institutions. Populist policies may take various forms, such as tax cuts, spending increases, subsidies, debt relief, or redistribution, depending on the ideological orientation and the target audience of the populist actors.
The statement implies that sound public finances, which are essential for supporting sustainable growth and stability, have been compromised or undermined by populist policies, which are driven by short-term or narrow considerations, rather than by long-term or broad objectives. The statement also suggests that public finances used to be managed more prudently and effectively by the administrative systems, which presumably followed the principles and methods of rational, scientific, or professional administration.
There is some empirical support for the claim that populist policies tend to worsen public finances, especially in developing countries, where populism is often associated with fiscal profligacy, inflation, debt crises, and macroeconomic instability.
There is some empirical challenge to the claim that populist policies always have negative effects on public finances, as some populist governments have managed to implement fiscal reforms, reduce inequality, or achieve growth, depending on the context and the type of populism.
There is also some theoretical critique of the claim that populist policies are irrational or illegitimate, as some scholars argue that populism can be seen as a democratic response to the failures or limitations of the existing institutions, or as a way of expressing the preferences or values of the majority or the marginalized.
Furthermore, there is some normative contestation of the claim that sound public finances are determined by the methods of political analysis alone, as some perspectives suggest that public finances are also influenced by the power, interests, and ideologies of the actors and institutions involved, or by the historical and social factors that shape the policy process.
Therefore, the statement is not a definitive or objective truth, but a debatable or subjective opinion, that depends on the definition, measurement, and evaluation of sound public finances and populist policies, as well as on the assumptions, perspectives, and values of the analysts and the stakeholders.