@Hakunah_MatataCould you please tell us what worked for you? What your strategy was, test series attempted by you, etc? My scores have been 266 (2018), 249 (2017), 276 (2016), so I’d love to hear from you
@LalSalaamThat’s a really good score! What was your strategy? Could you please elaborate?
@Hakunah_MatataCool, dude!
@LalSalaamyup, sounds good.
@Thoroughly_ScrewedI’m ready for tomorrow but I think day after would be better because it’ll give people a day to prepare
@Thoroughly_ScrewedAlso, if you can draw up a plan for the entire week that would be great because it’ll help people plan their prep
@Thoroughly_ScrewedI’m definitely in dude! Let’s gey it started once the plan is in place
@Thoroughly_ScrewedDude, this is 40% of the syllabus that you’re looking to cover in a week or so. Introduction and Thinkers are very important chapters that’ll require at least 4 days each, I feel. What do the others say?
@Bhagat-singhThe plan works for me. I’m okay with both today or tomorrow so you can take a call. Can we do both previous year’s papers and test series stuff if it’s okay with everyone else?
1 A theory of public administration means in our time a theory of politics also. Comment (1994)
-statement made by Dwight Waldo, one of the foremost thinkers in Public Administration
Classical era
-Wilson: Politics Administration dichotomy (the sphere of PA is removed from the hurry and strife of politics) and focus on making PA less “unbusiness like”
-Fayol’s functionalism and Gulick and Urwick structural approach continued viewing PA as merely “instrumental” with more focus on 3 Es
-Even Behavioralists like Simon focused on creating a science of PA with logical positivism approach and maximising efficiency
But, theory in PA should be grounded in politics:
-As NPA approach showed an instrumental approach will merely enhance the sufferings of the people thereby increasing inequalities. Therefore, a more citizen centric, public oriented and normative approach is the need of the hour (highlighted by Marini, Freidrickson etc)
-even the NPM approach which focused on management and business principles is presently being challenged by NPS approach (Denhardt and Denhardt) which reinstates the democratic accountability and pubic participation
-Similarly the Neo Weberian State and New Public Governance models seeks to bring back centrality is the State and political control in the wake of the experience of Eastern European countries ‘ and the 2008 crisis
Thus, politics and administration are inextricably linked and PA cannot be studied in isolation
Eg: the changing nature and role of district admin after the 73rd and 74th CAA
2 Do you think that contemporary Administrative Theory supports the 'art' of public administration and generally tends to place less emphasis on the 'science' of public administration? (1988)
Whether PA is an art or a science is a debate that vexed many thinkers over the course of the evolution of the discipline
-Wilson known as the father of the discipline wanted PA to be studied as a Science so that more govt could be more fun efficiently
-Taylor ‘s Scientific Management principles focused on creating the one best way for production
-Simon also wanted to create a value free science of PA using his principle of bounded rationality and Behavioralism
The ‘art’ aspect however was emphasised by
-Waldo, Appleby etc in their admin as politics approach where greater discretion and value orientation was called for in administration
-contemporary theories like good governance approach similarly focus on greater value orientation in admin with enhanced citizen participation and accountability
-contingency theorists suggest that there is no ‘one best way’ of structuring an organisation and it’s dependent on the environment
-Post modernist and Feminist approaches also call for a greater emphasis on the marginalised, vulnerable, esp the women. Thus, rationality and efficiency are de emphasised
However, to say there is less of science in PA now is not true
-Taylorian principles such as one best way are needed even more in era of Digital governance as BPR and other activities need to be carried out before their implementation (eg Digital India)
-Principles of NPM such as privatisation and outsourcing are also being to enhance efficiency (eg privatisation of air India is in the works)
-even as contingent theories have questioned the utility of bureaucratic structures and process the State has made a comeback as seen in the Neo Weberian State model which is vital in the era of network governance (eg to hold private players accountable)
Thus, while a more discretionary and normative role is being still called for in admin, scientific principles and practices have not completely lost their relevance
3 "Public administration is the translation of politics into reality that citizens see everyday"(Donald F. Kettl and James W. Fesler) Explain.(2016)
As Wilson rightly defined, PA is the detailed and systematic implementation of public law. It deals with translating political values and decisions into actionable policy outcomes in the lives of citizens
-Goodnow remarked that politics dealt with the “expression of the general will” of the people and PA converted them into reality
-Politics through consensus, negotiations and bargaining among various groups (Pluralist Theory) decided upon the values to be achieved. The PA in turn uses principles of Scientific Management (Taylorism) to implement them in the most efficient and effective manner eg: DBT VS PDS system to ensure food security
-As Gulick abd Urwick pointed out POSDCoRB techniques which encompass planning, personnel admin, financial administration and other gamut of activities are utilised to deliver policy goals eg: Outcome Bufgeting to improve deliverables
However, PA not only plays an instrumental role. It also participated in political process by
-providing inputs to Political class during policy formulation (Appleby)
-NPA approach called for PA to be more proactive and citizen centric and not merely instrumental
-Public choice theorists also point out how Budget maximising tendencies affect financial efficiency
Therefore, while the main job of PA is to implement the policies the lines btw politics and admin are increasingly becoming blurred du to new approaches such as good governance etc
@Bhagat-singhI wrote the first few while I was at work. I’ve written the others on paper but I don’t know how to upload it
@LalSalaamI’m here, dude. Test series’ idea sounds good. A couple of questions everyday would be doable, I think
@LalSalaamI don’t have access to it, dude. Is it available on freeupscmaterials ka website?
@LalSalaamachha, we’ll start then. 2-3 questions per day for now. Let’s see how it picks up from there
@Hakunah_MatataI was thinking along similar lines only:
-stability and majority being a result of populist policies eg:10 year reign of SAD BJP in Punjab
-it resulting in reduced responsiveness to needs of citizens eg: Congress rule in delhi for 15 years
-challenges of accountability as opposition is likely to be weak in such cases (eg TRS and Telengana)
Some good examples are also there Chatt and MP experiencing good agri growth and governance coz of long and stable govts
Thanks@Bhagatsinghand@LalSalaam
