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Public Administration Optional Syllabus for UPSC Mains 2024

Aditi Sinha August 21, 2023 01:30 9219 0

Learn how to succeed in UPSC Mains by using our Public Administration Optional course.

Public Administration Optional Syllabus for UPSC Mains 2024

Considering Public Administration as your optional subject for UPSC Mains? Explore our comprehensive guide on syllabus, strategies, and success tips. With its relevance to General Studies and high scoring potential, Public Administration could be your key to UPSC success.

This article will provide you with essential insights and strategies for doing great in Public Administration Optional for UPSC Mains. From understanding the syllabus to analyzing previous year question papers, we’ll help you navigate this optional subject effectively for your UPSC journey.

Public Administration Optional has gained popularity among the aspirant community in the last few years. For a beginner who is considering Public Administration as a possible optional subject, we recommend you read the following information before proceeding.

Public Administration can be defined as study and practice of policy-making and management. Working within local, state, and central government as well as nonprofit organizations and private partners, public administration professionals use their expertise in management and public policy to effect positive change for their communities.

Public Administration Optional: Structure, Syllabus, and Success Strategies

Public Administration Optional consists of two papers viz Paper 1 and Paper 2. While Paper 1 focuses on basics of governance, such as theories, administrative laws and structures, management of resources etc, Paper 2 focuses particularly on Indian administration, including its historical origin.

Public Administration Optional has a very good success rate and is sought after by aspirants preparing for the examination.

Public Administration Optional has a total of 500 marks, divided into two papers of 250 marks each. Each Paper is equally divided into two sections, with a total of eight questions. A candidate has to attempt five questions in total from the whole question paper, out of which Question 1 and Question 5 are compulsory. Out of the remaining questions, any Three are to be attempted, choosing at least One from each section.

Why Choose Public Administration Optional?

Looking at the trends from the past few years, Public Administration Optional ranks among the top five subjects selected by candidates. The main reasons for considering Public Administration as an optional is as follows:

  • Relevance to General Studies: Public Administration overlaps with GS Paper-II, GS Paper-III & GS Paper-IV in the mains exam. Themes from Public Administration can also be used in Essay Paper.
    • It has been observed that topics in GS Paper II, related to Polity, Constitution and governance, overlap with the syllabus of Public Administration.
    • Similarly, topics in GS III, concerning Social & Economic Development, Security Issues & Disaster Management, will also be covered in Public Administration.
    • Knowledge gained in Public Administration can be used in Ethics paper, including case studies. This makes Public Administration a very popular subject.
  • Skills Development: Studying Public Administration enhances candidates’ analytical and critical thinking skills as they analyse administrative theories, policies, case studies, and administrative practices from various perspectives.
  • Appeal to Candidates Interested in Governance and Policy Process: Candidates with a genuine interest in understanding how governments function and how policies are formulated and implemented will find Public Administration as an optional subject fulfilling and intellectually stimulating.
  • Career Prospects: Apart from the UPSC CSE, knowledge of Public Administration can be beneficial for candidates aspiring for careers in public policy, public administration, and international organisations. It provides a solid foundation for understanding the dynamics of public service and governance.
  • Availability of Study Material: There is a plethora of study material, books, and online resources available for Public Administration, making it easier for candidates to prepare comprehensively for this optional subject.

Public Administration Optional Syllabus: Paper 1 and Paper 2 Explained

The complete Public Administration Optional Syllabus consists of two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2. The syllabus for both the papers are as follows:

Paper 1: Administration Theory

 Introduction
  • Meaning, scope and significance of Public Administration;
  • Wilson’s vision of Public Administration;
  • Evolution of the discipline and its present status;
  • New Public Administration, Public Choice approach; 
  • Challenges of liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation; 
  • Good Governance: concept and application; 
  • New Public Management.
Administrative Thought
  • Scientific Management and Scientific Management movement; 
  • Classical Theory; 
  • Weber’s bureaucratic model, its critique and post-Weberian Developments; 
  • Dynamic Administration (Mary Parker Follett); Human Relations School (Elton Mayo and others); 
  • Functions of the Executive (C.I. Barnard); Simon’s decision-making theory; 
  • Participative Management (R. Likert, C. Argyris, D. McGregor.)
Administrative Behaviour
  • Process and techniques of decision-making;
  • Communication; 
  • Morale; 
  • Motivation Theories content, process and contemporary; 
  • Theories of Leadership: Traditional and Modern.
Organisations
  • Theories systems, contingency; 
  • Structure and Forms: Ministries and Departments, Corporations, Companies; Boards and Commissions; Ad hoc, and advisory bodies; Headquarters and Field relationships; Regulatory Authorities; Public-Private Partnerships.
Accountability and Control 
  • Concepts of accountability and control;
  • Legislative, Executive and judicial control over administration; 
  • Citizen and Administration; 
  • Role of media, interest groups, voluntary organizations; 
  • Civil society; Citizen’s Charters; 
  • Right to Information; 
  • Social audit.
 Administrative Law 
  • Meaning, scope and significance; 
  • Dicey on Administrative law; 
  • Delegated legislation; 
  • Administrative Tribunals.
Comparative Public Administration 
  • Historical and sociological factors affecting administrative systems; 
  • Administration and politics in different countries; 
  • Current status of Comparative Public Administration;
  • Ecology and administration; 
  • Riggsian models and their critique.
Development Dynamics 
  • Concept of development; 
  • Changing profile of development administration; 
  • ‘Anti-development thesis’; 
  • Bureaucracy and development; 
  • Strong state versus the market debate; 
  • Impact of liberalisation on administration in developing countries; 
  • Women and development of the self-help group movement.
Personnel Administration
  • Importance of human resource development;
  • Recruitment, training, career advancement, position classification, discipline, performance appraisal, promotion, pray and service conditions; 
  • Employer-employee relations, grievance redressal mechanism; 
  • Code of conduct; 
  • Administrative ethics.
Public Policy 
  • Models of policy-making and their critique; 
  • Processes of conceptualisation, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review and their limitations; 
  • State theories and public policy formulation.
Techniques of Administrative Improvement 
  • Organisation and methods, Work study and work management; 
  • e-governance and information technology;
  • Management aid tools like network analysis, MIS, PERT, CPM.
Financial Administration
  • Monetary and Fiscal Policies: Public borrowings and public debt Budgets types and forms; Budgetary process; Financial accountability; Accounts and audit.

Paper 2: Indian Administration

Evolution of Indian Administration
  • Kautilya Arthashastra; 
  • Mughal administration; 
  • Legacy of British rule in politics and administration Indianization of Public services, revenue administration, district Administration, local self-Government.
Philosophical and Constitutional framework of Government
  • Salient features and value premises; 
  • Constitutionalism; 
  • Political culture; 
  • Bureaucracy and democracy; 
  • Bureaucracy and development.
Public Sector Undertakings 
  • Public sector in modern India; 
  • Forms of Public Sector Undertakings; 
  • Problems of autonomy, accountability and control; 
  • Impact of liberalisation and privatisation.
Union Government and Administration
  • Executive, Parliament, Judiciary-structure, functions, work processes; 
  • Recent trends; 
  • Intra-governmental relations; 
  • Cabinet Secretariat; 
  • Prime Minister’s Office; 
  • Central Secretariat; 
  • Ministries and Departments; 
  • Boards; 
  • Commissions; 
  • Attached offices; 
  • Field organisations.
Plans and Priorities
  • Machinery of planning; 
  • Role, composition and functions of the Planning Commission and the National Development Council; 
  • ‘Indicative’ planning; 
  • Process of plan formulation at Union and State levels; 
  • Constitutional Amendments (1992) and decentralised planning for economic development and social justice.
State Government and Administration
  • Union-State administrative, legislative and financial relations; 
  • Role of the Finance Commission; 
  • Governor; 
  • Chief Minister; 
  • Council of Ministers; 
  • Chief Secretary; 
  • State Secretariat; 
  • Directorates.
District Administration since Independence
  • Changing role of the Collector; 
  • Union-State-local relations; 
  • Imperatives of development management and law and order administration; 
  • District administration and democratic decentralisation.
Civil Services
  • Constitutional position; 
  • Structure, recruitment, training and capacity building; 
  • Good governance initiatives; 
  • Code of conduct and discipline; 
  • Staff associations; 
  • Political rights; 
  • Grievance redressal mechanism; 
  • Civil service neutrality; 
  • Civil service activism.
Financial Management
  • Budget as a political instrument; 
  • Parliamentary control of public expenditure; 
  • Role of finance ministry in monetary and fiscal area; Accounting techniques; 
  • Audit; 
  • Role of Controller General of Accounts and Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
Administrative Reforms since Independence
  • Major concerns; 
  • Important Committees and Commissions; 
  • Reforms in financial management and human resource development; 
  • Problems of implementation.
Rural Development
  • Institutions and agencies since Independence; 
  • Rural development programmes: foci and strategies; 
  • Decentralization and Panchayati Raj; 
  • 73rd Constitutional amendment.
Urban Local Government
  • Municipal Governance: main features, structures, finance and problem areas; 
  • 74th Constitutional Amendment; 
  • Global-local debate; 
  • New localism; 
  • Development dynamics, politics and administration with special reference to city management.
Law and Order Administration
  • British legacy; 
  • National Police Commission; 
  • Investigative agencies; 
  • Role of Central and State Agencies including para military forces in maintenance of law and order and countering insurgency and terrorism; 
  • Criminalisation of politics and administration; 
  • Police-public relations; 
  • Reforms in Police.
Significant issues in Indian Administration
  • Values in public service; 
  • Regulatory Commissions; 
  • National Human Rights Commission; 
  • Problems of administration in coalition regimes; 
  • Citizen administration interface;
  • Corruption and administration; 
  • Disaster management.

 

Related Articles 
UPSC Optional Subjects Syllabus & Subject List UPSC Sociology Syllabus
UPSC Public Administration Syllabus UPSC Political Science Optional Syllabus
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UPSC Geology Syllabus UPSC Psychology Syllabus

Public Administration Optional Books for UPSC Preparation

Following is a list of books that will help a candidate to prepare for Public Administration Optional:

Paper 1 Paper 2
  • Theories of Administration by D. Ravindra Prasad, P. Satyanarayana, and V.S. Prasad
  • Accountability and Control by Mohit Bhattacharya
  • Principles Of Administrative Law by MP Jain & SN Jain
  • Public Administration – A Comparative Perspective by Ferrel Heady
  • Public Administration by M Laxmikant
  • Public Administration: Concepts and Theories by Rumki Basu
  • An Introduction to the Constitution of India by D D Basu
  • Administrative History of India by B N Puri
  • Indian Public Administration: Institutions and Issues by Arora and Goyal
  • Central Administration by A  Avasthi
  • State Administration by J D Shukla
  • Local Government in India by S.R. Maheswari 
  • District Administration by T.N. Chaturvedi 
  • Public Administration by M Laxmikant

Strategies for Public Administration Optional in UPSC Exams

Every candidate has their own strategies to deal with subjects in the exam. This is because preparation level and grasping level varies from candidate to candidate. Following are some of the strategies that a candidate can emulate:

  • Study Materials Collection

    • The candidate has to make a note of study materials that are needed for covering the syllabus. The materials can be bought directly from institutes or through-commerce sites.
  • Notes Making

    • A candidate needs to make his/her notes for Public Administration optional, even though they possess readymade study materials. Notes making will help them in revision.
  • Current Affairs Linkage

    • The linkage between static and current parts will help in writing better answers. This gives them a slight advantage over their peers. 
  • Public Administration Optional PYQ Analysis

    • Analysis of PYQ is a critical part of the preparation and a candidate must start his/her preparation after analyzing the PYQs. Without PYQs, their preparation will not attain the required focus.
  • Analysing Public Administration Optional Topper Copy

    • Analysing copies of toppers will give an aspirant idea about what to write in an answer and also how much to write. This will help them develop their own strategy over a period of time.
  • Attempting Test Series

    • Initially, a candidate must attempt section-wise tests. Later, they can attempt a full-length test to test their preparedness. All this while, they must get their answers evaluated to get a better sense of their preparation.

Public Administration Optional Question Paper for UPSC Preparation

Previous years Public Administration Optional Question Paper can be downloaded from UPSC website for free. In the following table, you can find links to download question papers from previous years.

UPSC CSE Public Administration Optional PYQ 2023 Paper 1: Public Administration Optional
Paper 2: Public Administrative Optional
UPSC CSE Public Administration Optional PYQ 2022 Paper 1: Public Administration Optional
Paper 2: Public Administration Optional
UPSC CSE Public Administration Optional PYQ 2021 Paper 1: Public Administration Optional
Paper 2: Public Administration Optional
UPSC CSE Public Administration Optional PYQ 2020 Paper 1: Public Administration Optional
Paper 2: Public Administration Optional

Public Administration Optional Topper in UPSC Exams

Analysing the results of the past 10 years, there is at least one candidate who is ranked in the top 50 with Public Administration Optional. The following table contains the list of toppers:

Name of the Candidate Year of Examination  Marks of the Candidate Rank of the Candidate
Khushboo Oberoi 2022 294 294
Vidyamari Sridhar 2021 288 336
Anant Dwivedi 2020 286 40
Nupur Goel 2019 302 11
Anju 2018 333 272
Purna Borah 2017 311 149

 

Must Read
NCERT Notes For UPSC UPSC Daily Current Affairs
UPSC Blogs UPSC Daily Editorials
Daily Current Affairs Quiz Daily Main Answer Writing
UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers UPSC Test Series 2024

 

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UPSC Public Administration Syllabus FAQs

The candidate must identify the repeated themes to understand the priority of topics. This will help them take their preparation in the right direction.

Question papers give an idea of the type of questions that will be asked in the exam. The first step is to mark the topics that frequently appear in exams. Based on the analysis, the subject can be studied.

Public Administration Optional Notes are easily available in the market. Some institutes provide materials free of cost to the candidates.

Yes. A topper’s copy helps a candidate understand the type of answers that an examiner expects from a candidate. This will help in fine tuning one’s preparation.

A candidate has to complete at least one reading of the optional subject before writing the Prelims examination. The whole syllabus can be completed within 2-3 months with the right approach.

Each Paper in the subject consists of eight questions, divided equally into two sections with four questions each. The candidate has to attempt any five questions, with question 1 and 5 being compulsory. Out of the remaining, the candidate has to attempt at least one from each section.
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 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

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 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

Quick Revise Now !
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD SOON
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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