Question : “Policy analysis is incomplete without taking into account policy delivery.” Argue.
(2015)
Answer : Anderson said: “Policy is implemented as formulated, and Formulated as implemented”. He felt that a good policy, even when it is formulated – it is implemented.
Policy analysis takes into account the causes of a policy, consequences of a policy. It seeks to compare the target achieved vis-a-vis target decided. “For better policy analysis, policy delivery has to be analysed, Policy delivery shows the goals achieved. It shows the effectiveness of the policy. It leads to ....
Question : “Adaptive, problem-solving, temporary systems of diverse specialists, linked together by coordinating executives in an organic flux—this is the original form that will gradually replace bureaucracy.” Discuss, in the light of this statement, the ‘end of bureaucracy’ thesis and its strengths and limitations.
(2014)
Answer : Public administration is ever evolving and new techniques based on adaptiveness and problem-solving began to replace the classical bureaucracy with the help of temporary systems of diverse specialists. System moved from a hierarchy linked one to an efficient organic flux linked together by coordinating executives. Models suggested to overcome the lacunae of bureaucracy includes:- (1) Matrix organization, (2) Rensis Likert system IV, (3) Warren bennis organic adaptive model (4) Alvin Toffler adhocracy model.
The main characteristics ....
Question : Civil Servants must be social moralists in action, living up to Paul Appleby’s dictum that ‘responsible government is ethical government’. Examine this statement in the light of rod governance.
(2011)
Answer : Good Governance is considered as a part of attaining efficient & effective government. It is also viewed as citizen friendly and responsible government. It works according to the mandate and wishes of the people. The Paul Apple by Report of 1953-54 stresses over people’s satisfaction. He further said that, responsible and responsive bureaucracy is morale. Some point which he innumerate has been set to Judge morale government.
First political setup should be responsible and periodic election ....
Question : Neither Edward Weidner nor Fred Riggs was able to describe the process of development administration adequately. Explain the drawbacks and weaknesses in their theoretical analyses.
(2011)
Answer : Pandit Nehruonce called the public sector undertaking as the modern temple of India. Public sector undertaking was aimed to achieve balance regional development. Employment, generation, creating infrastructure and breaking the monopoly of private enterprises. It initially achieved the desired result. PSUs generated employment, created infrastructure and other things. This was created to attain the socialist pattern of development. Yet, it didn’t attain the desired result due to redtapism, interference higher capital output ratio, work culture ....
Question : E-governance is the final arrival of Max Weber’s ‘iron cage of rationality’, Discuss.
(2011)
Answer : Electronic government comprises electronic service delivery, electronic democracy and e-governance, or digital support for policy making and the policy process. The optimistic view of e-governance, that once-for-all improvement in the capabilities of governance and in at least the possibility of rationality in decision-making, is based on the classical cybernetic theory that information is control.
Besides, e-governance will lead to decrease in uncertainty, it will slow down entropy and increases system control (decrease variance) by feedback and ....
Question : Do you think that there is a sort of paradox between e-Governance and good governance? Explain fully?
(2010)
Answer : Good governance and E-governance are two sides of the same coin. In such a conceptualisation they reinforce each other. In an idealized state, the two become indistinguishable. Good governance has been often cited as an essential requirement of an accelerated socio-economic development of countries, who despite more than half a century of development endeavour, are still struggling with the issues of development and rising population, now described as demographic dividend. E-governance is a contraction of ....
Question : Discuss in this connection the case for the against promotion based on seniority.
(2010)
Answer : Promotion is an elevation of a person from a given position to a higher position. It involves change in duties to a more difficult type of work and greater responsibility. It is accompanied by change of title and usually an increase in pay.
There are various types of promotions, like from lower grade to higher, lower class to higher and from lower service to higher.
Promotion is based on three principles. They are seniority, merit and seniority ....
Question : Explain the ‘Peter Principle’ in respect of promotion policy in a hierarchical organisation.
(2010)
Answer : Peter Principle states that in a hierarchical organisation the managers rise to their level of incompetence. Thus pre causence. J. Peter criticised the bureaucratic organisations. In any hierarchical organisation promotions are given for employees. In these promotions employees are raised from lower level to the higher level. The promotion is given to him because of his successful functioning at that level. His skills and capacities for the higher level were inefficient, he was promoted because ....
Question : Explain the impact of privitisation on public administration with special reference to
(2010)
Answer : (a). At an institutional level it has been suggested that delegating authority for service delivery to non-governmental organizations might lead to a loss of the political legitimacy of “government action accomplished at arms length”, specifically if the contract management of service delivery is also included. Public perceptions on the legitimacy of private firms providing public goods (such as water supply), further compounds these impacts. However, if the involvement of private providers increases the level of ....
Question : “Not merely governance but good governance is the key factor in achieving the United Nations Millenium Goals (2000).” Explain.
(2010)
Answer : Good governance is synonymous with democratic governance. Democratic governance is possible when democratic values and norms are engrained into the society and its institutions along with the procedural requirements of fair and free elections as well as peaceful turnover of power.
A strong civil society, respect for human rights in general, and minority rights in particular, accountable and transparent public administration, decentralized local governance, separation of powers and an impartial judiciary, along with macroeconomic stability, high ....
Question : “There is no doubt that departmentalisation is fraught with complexities. These are in part technical, in part political.” Discuss.
(2009)
Answer : A ‘Department’ is fundamental organizational unit of administration. Department is the traditional and most important form of dividing and conducting government operation. Department implies grouping of related activities in the same field.
The theory of departmentalization is an important principles of administrative management. Luther Gullick identified four bases on which department in created. These are known as 4p’s of Gullick i.e purpose process, persons and place.
In order to create certain department one has to identify themajor ....
Question : ‘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.
(2008)
Answer : Good economics considers the importance of developmental programmes in economy. The policies of good economy always try to improve the GDP, forex, strong currency and so on. It considers very minimum on subsidised goods for the people but follows the norms of World Bank for the development. In the good economics, it tries to compet international market instead of domestic market. The socialist China is a good example of good economy with minimum bad politics. ....
Question : What is judicial activism? How far has it been successful in exercising a check over administration?
(2005)
Answer : The necessity of judicial control over administration is no less important than legislative control over administration. The legislatures control over the policy and expenditure of the executive. The purpose of judicial control is to ensure the legality of administrative acts and thus protect the rights of citizens against any unlawful use of authority.
Today judiciary has assumed the role of a guardian of citizen’s private rights. The increase in powers and discretion of public officials, the ....
Question : “The main features of British governmental and administrative system continue to influence the present administrative system”. Comment.
(2004)
Answer : India remained under British domination and control for a very long time. Several administration changes have been introduced to suit new needs and requirements, yet on the whole the influence of British administrative system, altogether has not been wiped out. There are many areas in which influence of British administrative system on Indian administrative system has been felt. These are:
Question : “The Arthashastra is India’s oldest complete text on public Administration”. Comment.
(2003)
Answer : The first organized state administration in Indian history can be seen from the pre-Mauryan period as reported in Kautilya’s Arthashastra. His great work, the Arthashastra is the oldest text on public administration anywhere in the world and was written sometime between 521and 300 BC.
The Arthashastra is a classic on public administration dealing with the hierarchy of officials, the merits and failing of bureaucracy including corruption, geographical divisions of the empire, field administration through an all-purpose ....
Question : “The machinery of government designed in Kautilya’s Arthashastra does not exactly resemble our modern. Day polity, but it does contain some principles which could be said to be the part of today’s science of public administration.
(2001)
Answer : Modern government is a democratic government, responsible, responsive, accountable, efficient and effective serving and looking after the welfare of the people. The machinery of government designed by Kautilya is centred on monarchy and legitimized astrictive inequality. Kautilya outlines ten principles of governance which resembles modern day polity:
Question : “The period of British rule generated most of the structural and behavioural values of Indian Administration not by initiation but through interaction”.
(2000)
Answer : British rule in India have experienced great experimentation in the field of administration. Britishers introduced many new administrative like, most important is Indian Civil Service, similarly they have introduced parliamentary form of government, dyarchy, judiciary and cameralism and bicameralism in the parliamentary form of government. They have experimented with local self-government and municipalities.
Above all they have introduced cabinet secretariat for Governor-Generals office and there is office of Comptroller & Auditor General of India. District administration ....
Question : “The Planning Commission continues to exist but some would say that it is withering away, along with real planning itself.” Comment.
(1999)
Answer : India launched a government sponsored, 5-year plans in 1951. The objective of the Planning Commission was to make India self-reliant and free from the grip of un-employment and poverty within a period of 20 years. Now after about 50 years of planning the objective remains unfulfilled.
The planning process assumed an important role in view of changes in economic policies, reforms and structural adjustments. The 8th plan detailed at great length the role of planning in ....
Question : “Kautilya’s Arthashastra has significant relevance to the contemporary Indian Administration.” Comment.
(1998)
Answer : The Mauryan era of ancient Indian history gave the world a significant treatise, the Arthashastra of Kautilya.
The first organized state administration in Indian history can be seen from the pre-Mauryan period as reported in Kautilya’s Arthashastra. Arthashastra is a science of government. It contains Kautilya’s philosophy of state administration. Promotion of public security and welfare was considered as important aspects of the state policy and the king was responsible for the ‘security’ and ‘welfare’ of ....
Question : “It is not wholly correct to suggest that British rule had seriously attempted to bring about unity in India’s administration.” Comment.
(1996)
Answer : The British administration in India started with the establishment of East India Company in 1959. The company’s rule continued upto 1857 and the Government of India’s Act, 1858, the control was transferred to crown.
The administrative policy of East India Company had three objectives to increase the company’s profit from trade, to strengthen the British hold over India and to make these possessions profitable to the British at every step. After 1858, the administration of India ....
Question : “The purpose of Clive’s famous ‘double government’ was to mask company’s sovereignty.”
(1995)
Answer : The famous “double government” meant that while the East India company took over directly the responsibility of defending the territories of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa the collection of revenue was the responsibility of the rulers of these 3 states. This was suggested by Robert Clive the then Governor General of East India Company.
There were many reasons behind this notion of ‘dual government’. The East India Company was just setting its roots deep in India after ....
Question : “Under the company’s rule a distinction was drawn between Regulation & Non- Regulation Provinces”.
Answer : Surprisingly though it may sound, it was the provinces, the earlier nomenclature of the states, which first came into existence in British India, not the Central Government. Indeed a kind of Central Government could make its appearance, only in Charter Act in 1773, long after the 3 presidencies of Fort William in Bengal, the presidency of St. George, Madras, the presidency of Bombay had come into existence. The first named presidency was the largest of ....
