UPSC Mains Public Administration Syllabus
Paper 1:
| Optional Subject 1-Administrative 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 liberalization, 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; ‘Antidevelopment thesis’; Bureaucracy and development; Strong state versus the market debate; Impact of liberalisation on administration in developing countries; Women and development – the self-help group movement. |
| Personnel Administration | Importance of human resource development; Recruitment, training, career advancement, position classification, discipline, performance appraisal, promotion, pay 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. |
UPSC Mains Public Administration Syllabus
Paper 2:
| Optional Subject 2- Indian Administration | |
| Evolution of Indian Administration | Kautilya’sArthashastra; 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 liberalization and privatization. |
| Union Government and Administration | Executive, Parliament, Judiciary – structure, functions, work processes; Recent trends; Intragovernmental relations; Cabinet Secretariat; Prime Minister’s Office; Central Secretariat; Ministries and Departments; Boards; Commissions; Attached offices; Field organizations. |
| 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 decentralized 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; Unionstate- local relations; Imperatives of development management and law and order administration; District administration and democratic decentralization. |
| 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; Globallocal 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 paramilitary 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. |
UPSC CSE Mains Exam Pattern
| Qualifying Papers (Non-Ranking) | ||
| Paper A | One of the Indian Language to be selected by the candidate from the languages included in the Eight Schedule to the Constitution. | 300 Marks |
| Paper B | English13 | 300 Marks |
| Papers to be Counted for Merit (Ranking) | ||
| Paper I | Essay | 250 Marks |
| Paper II | General Studies I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society) | 250 Marks |
| Paper III | General Studies II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations) | 250 Marks |
| Paper IV | General Studies III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) | 250 Marks |
| Paper V | General Studies IV ( Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) | 250 Marks |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject- Paper 1 | 250 Marks |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject- Paper 2 | 250 Marks |
| For the optional papers in the Main Examination, UPSC has a list of about twenty-six subjects out of which any one subject has to be selected by the candidate. | ||
| Subtotal (Written Test) | 1750 Marks | |
| Personality Test (Interview) | 275 Marks | |
| Grand Total | 2025 Marks |
UPSC Public Administration Exam Marking Scheme
There will be negative marking in the examination so must attempt each question very carefully keeping in mind the marking scheme
- If applicant’s response wrong answers for any question then 1/3 marks will be deducted
- More than one answer for same question will be treated as wrong and same penalty will be applied
- If question is not attempted or left, then there will be no negative marking
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