Public Administration Mains 2021 : Solved Paper-1 (Question: 7)
Public Administration Mains 2021 : Solved Paper Question Paper-1 (Question-7)
SECTION-B
Q7.(a) Policy problems are increasingly tending towards being wicked. Discuss the capacity and preparedness of the State to tackle such problems.(Public Policy)
ANSWER: ONLY FOR COURSE MEMBERS
(b) Zero-based budgeting was intended to get away from incrementalism, but ended up being the most incremental of any budgetary approach. Discuss. (Financial Administration)
ANSWER: ONLY FOR COURSE MEMBERS
(c) ICT has immense potential to transform governance and empower citizens. Examine.(Techniques of Administrative Improvement)
The role of ICT in Governance Sphere and empowering citizen could be 4-fold. 1. Improve quality of governance products and services being currently provided. 2. Provide new governance services and products, 3. Enhance participation of people in choice and provision of governance products and services, and 4. Bring new sections of society under the governance sphere (including those who are most likeable to remain excluded – namely the poor, the illiterate, the differently-abled, indigenous people, the migrants and displaced people). In other words, it is wrong to equate Digital Governance with simply digitalistion, or automation of governance services. It is much more than that. Digital Governance has to be seen as a ‘tool’ for good governance and human development.
Some facts on the role of information technology in governance are: 1. Access to information forms the basis of decision-making (which could be for public good or private gains). 2. Well-informed decision-making is dependent on the quality and timelines of information available, and 3. Limiting access to information to an exclusive group open up avenues for manipulation of information for exploitative purposes, such as private gains.