UPSC Previous Year Questions

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

8. Public Administration Q&A

106. A theory of public administration means in our time a theory of politics also. (CSE, 1995)

107. "The scope of public administration is ever expanding." Comment. (CSE, 1996)

108. "The scope of administration is determined by the scope of government functions which is
decided politically." Comment. (CSE, 1998)

E
109. "A science of administration would be a body of formal statements describing invariant
relationships between measurable objects, units, or elements. Unquestionably administrative
OR
research has produced definite percepts and hypothesises that are applicable to concrete
situations." - (Fritz Morstein Marx) (CSE, 2000)
110. The advent of the concept of "roll back of the state" since the 1980's has been altering the role
of Pub. Ad. but certainly not diminishing its central place in human society". Discuss.
SC

(CSE, 2003)

111. "If public administration is to play a major legitimizing role in governing our complex society,
it needs to be more fully conceptualized". Discuss. (CSE, 2006)

112. "The inculcation of belief in the real existence of common purpose is an essential executive
function." Comment. (CSE, 2001)
GS

113. "Centralization inclines towards power and domination. Decentralization, on the other hand,
inclines towards competition and self-determination." Discuss. (CSE, 1997)

114. Examine the growth of the discipline of Public Administration as a response to the developing
capitalistic system in U.S.A. (CSE, 1999)

115. "… The paradigms of public administration may be understood in terms of locus on focus." -
(Golembiewski) . In the light of the above statement describe the "five-paradigms" of Nicholas
Henry about the evolution of the discipline of public administration. (CSE, 2000)
116. Give an account of 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? (CSE, 2003)

117. "Bureaucracy is a system of government, the control of which is so completely in the hands
of officials that their power jeopardizes the liberties of ordinary citizens." Comment.(CSE,
1996)

118. "Once fully established, bureaucracy is among those social structures which are the hardest
to destroy". (CSE, 1997)

119. "Administrative efficiency is enhanced by keeping at a minimum the number of organizational

levels through which a matter must pass before it is acted upon". - (Herbert A. Simon)
(CSE, 2000)

Public Administration [1]

120. "a more through consideration leads to the understanding that communication, authority,
specialization and purpose are all aspects comprehended in coordinatioin" - (Chester I. Barnard).
(CSE, 2000)

121. Critically examine the models of Max Weber and Chester I Barnard with reference to
"bureaucratic authority". (CSE, 2001)

122. "Bureaucracy can exist only where the whole service of the state is removed from the common
political life of the people, its chiefs as well as rank and file. Its motives, its objectives, its
policy, its standards must be bureaucratic." -Discuss. (CSE, 2004)
123. Weber's ideas of impersonal detachment and espirit de corps are incompatible. Explain.
(CSE, 2004)

124. "The failure of classical science of administration it its capacity to confront theory with
evidence". Discuss. (CSE, 2005)
125. "Simon's work has had major implications for the study of public administration and the
practice of public administration professionalism." Comment. (CSE, 2006)
126. "The main problem with Mary Parker Follett's is that her idealism is showing". Explain.
(CSE, 2006)

E
127. "No science of public administration is possible unless there is a body of comparative studies
OR
from which it may be possible to discover principle and generalities that transcend national
boundaries and peculiar historical experiences". Discuss. (CSE, 2005)
128. "The study of decision-making is proceeding in so many directions that we can lose sight of
the basic administrative processes that Barnard and Simon were trying to describe and that
so many men have been trying to improve." Elucidate. (CSE, 1995)
SC

129. "Examine the basic postulates of the Human Relations theory and show how far it differs from
the classical theory of organisations. (CSE, 1997)
130. Why is it that the behavioural approach to the study of organizations is a continuous
phenomenon? Discuss Chester Barnard's contribution to this approach. (CSE, 1998)
GS

131. The 'decision-making' scheme and 'satisfying model' of Herbert Simon is the major component
of administrative theory. Comment. (CSE, 2001)

132. A fairly adequate analysis of the Administrative organization in Government is possible when
we treat 'bureaucracy' as a 'structure' and 'administration' as a 'function'. Discuss. (CSE, 2001)

[ 2 ] Public Administration
106. A theory of public administration means in our time a theory of politics also. (CSE, 1995)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [3]

107. "The scope of public administration is ever expanding." Comment. (CSE, 1996)

E
OR
SC
GS

[ 4 ] Public Administration
108. "The scope of administration is determined by the scope of government functions which is
decided politically." Comment. (CSE, 1998)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [5]

109. "A science of administration would be a body of formal statements describing invariant
relationships between measurable objects, units, or elements. Unquestionably administrative
research has produced definite percepts and hypothesises that are applicable to concrete
situations." - (Fritz Morstein Marx) (CSE, 2000)

E
OR
SC
GS

[ 6 ] Public Administration
110. The advent of the concept of "roll back of the state" since the 1980's has been altering the role
of Pub. Ad. but certainly not diminishing its central place in human society". Discuss.
(CSE, 2003)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [7]

111. "If public administration is to play a major legitimizing role in governing our complex society,
it needs to be more fully conceptualized". Discuss. (CSE, 2006)

E
OR
SC
GS

[ 8 ] Public Administration
112. "The inculcation of belief in the real existence of common purpose is an essential executive
function." Comment. (CSE, 2001)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [9]

113. "Centralization inclines towards power and domination. Decentralization, on the other hand,
inclines towards competition and self-determination." Discuss. (CSE, 1997)

E
OR
SC
GS

[10] Public Administration

114. Examine the growth of the discipline of Public Administration as a response to the developing
capitalistic system in U.S.A. (CSE, 1999)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [11]

115. "… The paradigms of public administration may be understood in terms of locus on focus." -
(Golembiewski) . In the light of the above statement describe the "five-paradigms" of Nicholas
Henry about the evolution of the discipline of public administration. (CSE, 2000)

E
OR
SC
GS

[12] Public Administration

116. Give an account of 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? (CSE, 2003)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [13]

117. "Bureaucracy is a system of government, the control of which is so completely in the hands
of officials that their power jeopardizes the liberties of ordinary citizens." Comment.(CSE,
1996)

E
OR
SC
GS

[14] Public Administration

118. "Once fully established, bureaucracy is among those social structures which are the hardest
to destroy". (CSE, 1997)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [15]

119. "Administrative efficiency is enhanced by keeping at a minimum the number of organizational
levels through which a matter must pass before it is acted upon". - (Herbert A. Simon)
(CSE, 2000)

E
OR
SC
GS

[16] Public Administration

120. "a more through consideration leads to the understanding that communication, authority,
specialization and purpose are all aspects comprehended in coordinatioin" - (Chester I. Barnard).
(CSE, 2000)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [17]

121. Critically examine the models of Max Weber and Chester I Barnard with reference to
"bureaucratic authority". (CSE, 2001)

E
OR
SC
GS

[18] Public Administration

122. "Bureaucracy can exist only where the whole service of the state is removed from the common
political life of the people, its chiefs as well as rank and file. Its motives, its objectives, its
policy, its standards must be bureaucratic." -Discuss. (CSE, 2004)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [19]

123. Weber's ideas of impersonal detachment and espirit de corps are incompatible. Explain.
(CSE, 2004)

E
OR
SC
GS

[20] Public Administration

124. "The failure of classical science of administration it its capacity to confront theory with
evidence". Discuss. (CSE, 2005)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [21]

125. "Simon's work has had major implications for the study of public administration and the
practice of public administration professionalism." Comment. (CSE, 2006)

E
OR
SC
GS

[22] Public Administration

126. "The main problem with Mary Parker Follett's is that her idealism is showing". Explain.
(CSE, 2006)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [23]

127. "No science of public administration is possible unless there is a body of comparative studies
from which it may be possible to discover principle and generalities that transcend national
boundaries and peculiar historical experiences". Discuss. (CSE, 2005)

E
OR
SC
GS

[24] Public Administration

128. "The study of decision-making is proceeding in so many directions that we can lose sight of
the basic administrative processes that Barnard and Simon were trying to describe and that
so many men have been trying to improve." Elucidate. (CSE, 1995)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [25]

129. "Examine the basic postulates of the Human Relations theory and show how far it differs from
the classical theory of organisations. (CSE, 1997)

E
OR
SC
GS

[26] Public Administration

130. Why is it that the behavioural approach to the study of organizations is a continuous
phenomenon? Discuss Chester Barnard's contribution to this approach. (CSE, 1998)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [27]

131. The 'decision-making' scheme and 'satisfying model' of Herbert Simon is the major component
of administrative theory. Comment. (CSE, 2001)

E
OR
SC
GS

[28] Public Administration

132. A fairly adequate analysis of the Administrative organization in Government is possible when
we treat 'bureaucracy' as a 'structure' and 'administration' as a 'function'. Discuss. (CSE, 2001)

E
OR
SC
GS

Public Administration [29]