UPSC IAS Mains Public Administration Solved Exam Paper - 2015 (Paper -I)

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Online Course

UPSC IAS Mains Public Administration Solved Exam Paper - 2015

Paper - I

Time Allowed: Three Hours

Maximum Marks: 250

SECTION A

Q1. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 10×5=50

Waldo’s The Administrative State’ provides a fundamental challenge to some of the orthodox premises. Explain. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
Discuss how the Public Choice Theory promotes the concept of ‘Steering’ and undermines the concept of ‘Rowing’ in visualising efficient and effective administration. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“Delegated Legislation is a necessary evil.” Comment. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
Do you agree with the view that the charismatic approach of the mid-1970s is a “new version” of the Classical Trait Theory of Leadership? Give reasons. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“The term policy implementation is in some respects preferable to the label public administration.” Argue. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)

Q2.

“Globalisation has transformed the nature and character of State from traditional administrative Welfare State to a Corporate State.” Analyse the changes in the nature of public administration in this context. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“Contemporary Organisational theory seems further afield of Chester Barnard’s Functions of the Executive than of organisational ecology.” Examine the statement in the light of ecological elements in Barnard’s thought. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“PPPs serve too many parties and too many interests … to be focussed.” Identify in the context of the statement, the parties involved in Public-Private Partnerships and their conflicting aims. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)

Q3.

“Follett’s work was not directed towards the resolution of the conflict of ideas, but towards the resolution of structural conflicts between workers and capitalists.” In the light of the statement critically evaluate Follett’s idea of dynamic administration. 20 (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“Information constitutes the life-blood of the functioning of an organisation.” Explain the utility and significance of communication in decision-making. 15 (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“Legislative action is not subject to the rules of natural justice.” Explain the exceptions to the rule of natural justice. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)

Q4.

“Right from the days of the ‘Peoples’ Charter’ to the new concept of `Precariat Charter’, the concept of Citizen’s Charter and its scope is constantly evolving.” Comment.
“Weberian model of bureaucracy lacks emotional validity when applied to modern democratic administration.” Comment.
How far do you agree with the view that the growing influence of media comes in the way of agenda-setting by the Government?

Answer:

A. “Right from the days of the ‘Peoples’ Charter’ to the new concept of `Precariat Charter’, the concept of Citizen’s Charter and its scope is constantly evolving.” Comment.

The People's Charter enunciated the key points that were necessary to reform the electoral system and to alleviate the suffering of the working classes – these are following:

Universal suffrage
No property qualification required for members of parliament
Annual parliaments meet
Equal representation to all
Payment of salary to members
Vote by secret ballot

None of demands under People’s charter were new, but the People's Charter was to become one of the most famous political manifestos of 19th century Britain. Globalisation, the neo-liberal economic model generated precariat, which is growing rapidly in most countries . It is a class-in-making, not a class-for-itself. It feels alienated from mainstream political establishments.

The precariat fundamentally different from the proletariat, having distinctive relations of production and distribution, with distinctive relations to the state. Many have not been voting and politically apathetic, merely that mainstream parties and politicians have not understood their needs or aspirations.

B. “Weberian model of bureaucracy lacks emotional validity when applied to modern democratic administration.” Comment.

Emotional intelligence is the capacity of individuals to recognize their own, and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior. Modern administration is based on performance which requires both merit and emotional intelligence. The changing and dynamic role of administration couldn’t be envisaged by Weber in a relatively stable society where he was living and when there was no idea of welfare society.

The nature and the content of public administration have changed in Germany during 1920s which witnessed the decline of liberalism and rise of authoritarianism. Weber ensured maximum social acceptance of bureaucratic model, and many predicted loss of its relevance in modern democratic administration but it is half hearted truth because technical competence, training and professionalism are the some of the Weberian postulates that are still remain relevant even today .

When bureaucracy today moved away from the historical concepts of dehumanization and impersonality, the emotional skills are essential to job performance and customer service has gained foothold and emotional intelligence skills will definitely continue to be important benchmark for bureaucracy because of increased dependency on technological forms of communication in modern organisation.

C. How far do you agree with the view that the growing influence of media comes in the way of agenda-setting by the Government ?

The mass media play a role in agenda setting and in problem framing, they are participants in the policy-making process as well as transmitters of news and information”. Agenda-setting studies are abundant in mass media literature.

The studies of agenda setting show that the news media play an important role in what the public thinks about and the policy outcomes that result from changes in public opinion. While the research on agenda setting continues to grow, both in breadth and depth, the majority of it still focuses, as the original research did, on the relationship between the media and public opinion with little research on policy outcomes.

Contemporary agenda-setting research, including this study, synthesizes ideas based largely on communication about decisions in agenda setting and draws on theories within public administration.

Kingdon said the media, one of the vehicles for policy change, are important because (1) they are communicators within policy community; (2) they can magnifying movements that have already started elsewhere; (3) to the extent that public opinion affects some of the participants, they might have an indirect effect.

The impact of the media on public opinion, which most research regarding media agenda setting examines. That the media can influence public opinion has been clearly established through agenda-setting studies. Max McCombs and Donald Shaw, showed that, at least when it comes to national issues, by ignoring some problems and attending to others, the mass media profoundly affect which problems readers, viewers and listeners take seriously.

Section-B

Q5. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each : 10×5=50

“Comparative Performance Measurement (CPM) bridges everyday work experience with the broader horizons of comparativism.” Explain. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
Analyse the relevance of Whitleyism in contemporary employer — employee relationship. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“No significant change can be made in the budgetary process without affecting the political process.” (Wildaysky). Analyse. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“In the appreciative systems of policy makers, goals are subsidiary to norms and values.” (Vickers). Explain. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
Show in what way the Gender and Development approach differs from the Woman and Development approach.(for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)

Q6.

“Administrative ethics is a process of independently critiquing decision standards, based on core social values that can be discovered, within reasonable organisational boundaries that can be defined, subject to the personal and professional accountability.” (Denhardt). Explain. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“Lenin’s concept of Socialist management refers to directing the organisational development of Socialist society.” Explain. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“Policy analysis is incomplete without taking into account policy delivery.” Argue. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)

Q7.

How does Ferrel Heady rationalize the three stages of development in comparative administration? (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
Distinguish between ‘Codes of Conduct’ and ‘Codes of Ethics’. Justify your answer. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“E-Governance creates a direct relationship between the Citizen and the State.” In this context, explain the changing role of the elected representatives. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)

Q8.

“The concept of political feasibility in policy alternative is a probabilistic concept and is related to each policy alternative.” In the context of the above statement analyse Dror’s contribution. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“The position-classification attempts to establish a triangular relationship between duties and responsibilities, working conditions and qualification requirements.” Elucidate. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)
“MIS, PERT and CPM have accelerated the process of reinventing 0 & M.” In the context of the above statement, explain the recent developments in managerial techniques. (for Answer Join Public Administration Online Coaching)