Q.9- “If public administration is to play a major legitimizing role in governing our complex society, it
needs to be more fully conceptualized.” Discuss.  (06,20)
Q.10- “Administrative question are not political questions.” Discuss.   (05,20)
Q.11- In what ways and how can information technology play a crucial role in effective government-
citizen interaction in the context of good governance?    (05,60)
 Q.12- Democracy and good governance are contradictions in terms. Discuss with examples.(04,60)
 Q.13- Give an account on major landmarks in the growth of the discipline of Public Administration in
the 20th century. What are the possible trends in its growth in the first decade of 21st Century? 
(03,60)
Q.14- “The ‘New Public Management’ (NPM) is an incarnation of a new model of public sector
management in response of the challenges of liberalization, international competitiveness and
technologies changes.” Explain.  (03,20)
Q.15- “The advent of the concept of “roll back of the state” since the nineteen eighties has been altering
the role of Public Administration but certainly not diminishing its central place in human society.”
Discuss.  (03,20)
 Q.16- Describe the evolution of the discipline of public administration with special emphasis on post-
1970 developments.  (02,60)
Q.17- “Civil society exists to ensure that government does provide good governance.” Discuss. (02,20)
Q.18- “Though there are certain points of similarity between public and private administration yet no
private organization can ever be exactly the same as a public one.” –Examine.  (02,20)
Q.19- ‘ “Publicness” of Public Administration in an ideal democratic government remains the ultimate
value in theory and practice.’ Elucidate. ( 01,20).
Q.20- Minnowbrook Conference in USA identified four features crucial to ‘new public administration.’
Explain. (01-20).
Q.21- “…..The paradigms of public administration may be understood in terms of locus and focus.” –
Golembiewski.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IAS MAINS: QUESTIONS TREND ANALYSIS   
PAPER-I: TOPICS ( 1 TO 6)          2009 - 1995 
1:  Introduction 

Q.1- From Woodrow Wilson to Herbert Simon most writers on administration have taken the
achievement of efficiency as the central objective. Justify the statement with references to the
work of major writers.     (09,60)

Q.2- It is said that “the perspective of public administration, developed over a century, with a tradition
of management of public institutions and services has received a jolt from the novelty of New
Public Managements”.

Bring out the core values, approaches and assumptions of traditional public administration and
show how the New Public Management has attempted to change or retain them, and to what
extent.        (09,60)

Q.3- “New Public Administration is ……… a revolution or radicalism in words, and (at best) status-
quo in skills or technologies.” Comment.     (09,20)

Q.4- The field of Public Administration is a field of business.” (Woodrow Wilson). Comment. (09,20)

Q.5- “In the last two decades, almost all countries of the world have experienced  transformations in
their administrative systems.” Explain this phenomenon with examples from the developed and
the developing nations in the context of New Public Management Movement.  (08,20)

Q.6- “Calling Woodrow Wilson, the father of Public Administration is doing injustice to equally or
even more eminent contributions made prior to him.” Comment.    (08,20)

Q.7- “The widening gap in emoluments of government employees versus the public sector corporations
and private sector employees has a strong bearing on the motivation and ability to work.” Comment.   
 (07,20)

Q.8- “Public and Private Administrations are two species of the same genus, but they also have special
values and techniques of their own.” Comment.   
(07,20)

Public Administration for UPSC Civil Services Examination

ANALYSIS & APPROCH: IAS PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION MAINS PAPER

Public Administration, in recent times, has gained a reputation of being one of the most Successful and
Popular optional amongst the entire gamut of subjects offered by the UPSC for Civil Services Main
examination. But the buck does not stop here! As, at the same time, a process of remarkable change has
also been enunciated in the quality as well as the quantity of the questions that are being asked now a
days.
This should not be taken as a shock, surprising or something very unprecedented. UPSC has already shown
its intention of change through various means- one of which being the new and drastically changed
Preliminary Test. So, it should be clear that UPSC does not want conventional and in a way- Static, hence
out-dated baboos (bureaucrats) anymore. As they do not fit-in in the changed state-of-affairs of modern
India and most importantly, in the changed world scenario in which India has to engage in, as part of her
day-today business. 
Having an idea of why such change? It should not be very difficult for one to adopt well into these changes
and prepare oneself as a dynamic personality who is eager to take up this challenge that India has
undertaken by exposing herself into the new phenomena called globalization. Yes, our approach would
have to include such elements of change that India is undergoing today and accordingly we should shape
our preparation strategies that are based on understanding, innovating, inter-linking and introspecting
rather than simply memorising the previously prepared notes.
So, it becomes clear that UPSC is not interested in the conventional knowledge of the subject matter
instead, it is testing you in real and live situations and your ability to come out of it. Whether you are able
to actually administer the public or simply reading the subject? Are you updated with the recent news &
have ability to link it with your answers or simply cramming the notes? In short they are checking your
suitability for the job by quality of your answers. And therefore, we should prepare in the same way.
Public Administration is now no more confined to the general texts available in the market but much
beyond that. This is evident in this year’s question paper which was more applied, practical & non-
conventional in nature and shape. There is visual shift of focus. The paper can be called as lengthy that
demanded the more innovative side of you. On the spot thinking, decision making & answer writing skills
are the key tools to tackle such kind of paper. More relevance has to be given to the contemporary issues. 
These are some of the guidelines that can be provided at this point in time and at this level of your
preparation