Public Administration Books for IAS Reference Books For Preliminary Examination

Pub AD 1. Indian Administration - Ramesh K. Arora & Rajni Goyal. 2. Indian Admin
istration - S.R. Maheswari. 3. Administrative Theory - Avasti & Avasti 4. Public
Administration - Avasti & Maheswari. 5. Administrative Thinkers - R. Prasad and
Prasad. 6. Administrative Thinkers - S.R. Maheswari. 7. Public Administration Sadan and Sharma 8. Local Government - S.R. Maheswari. 9. New Horizons of Publi
c Administration - Mohit Bhattacharya. 10. Public Administration Theory and conc
epts - Rumki Basu 11. Public Administration (Manual) (TATA MC Graw Hill) - Laxmi
kanth. 12. Indian Constitution - D.D. Basup (or) Pandey. 13. Public Administrati
on and Public Affairs - Nicholas Henry. 14. Modern Public Administration - Nigro
and Nigro. General Reference Books for Public Administration To put the subject
in its proper context the historical development (evolution o f public administ
ration discipline) of the subject should be studied with great emphasis. Public
administration in theory and practice - M.P. Sharma and B.L Sadan Public adminis
tration - Mohit Bhattacharya Modern public administration - Nigro and Nigro Theo
ries and principles of administration : Administrative thinkers - Pras ad & Pras
ad * Principles of management - Terry and Frankline * Administrative Behaviors:
Managing organizational behavior - Paul Hersey & Kenneth Blanchard * Personal Ad
ministration - Public personal administration - O. Glennstal * Financial adminis
tration: Financial administration of India - M.J.K. Thava ray * Comparative admi
nistration : public administration a comparative perspecti ve - Ferrel Heady or
Comparative public administration - Ramesh * Control over administration : Publi
c administration - Avasthi & Maheswari * Central administration in India: Centra
l administration - A. Avasthi * Civil Services in India : Indian administration
- S.R. Maheswari, State * District and local administration: State administratio
n - J.D. Shukla * District administration -- S. S. Khera * Local Government in I
ndia - S.R. Maheshwari * Laxmikant's guide (for clearing conepts) * IGNOU Study
Materials * IJPA articles on relevant topics * Current News Papers * * * *
Public Administration Syllabus for Main Examination 1. Introduction : Meaning, s
cope and significance. Evolution and status of the d iscipline. Comparative Publ
ic Administration and Development Administration. Pub lic and Private Administra
tion: State versus market debate. New Pubic Administra tion. New Public Manageme
nt perspective.

2. Basic concepts and principles : Organisation, hierarchy, Unity of command, Sp

an of control, Authority and Responsibility, Co-ordination, Centralization and
D ecentralization, Delegation, Supervision, Line and Staff. 3. Theories of Admin
istration : Scientific Management (Taylor and the Scientific Managment Movement)
, Classical Theory (Fayol, Urwick, Gulick and others) Bureau cratic Theory (Webe
r and his critics). Ideas of Mary Parker Follett and C.I. Bar nard; Human Relati
ons School (Elton Mayo and others). Behavioral Approach, Syste ms approach. 4. A
dministrative Behaviour : Decision making with special reference to H. Simon , c
ommunication and control, leadership theories. Theories of motivation (Maslow an
d Herzberg) 5. Accountability and Control : The concepts of Accountability and c
ontrol : Leg islative, executive and judicial control. Citizen and Administratio
n: Role of ci vil society, people's participation and Right to Information. 6. A
dministrative Systems : Comparative administrative features of USA, Great Br ita
in, France and Japan. 7. Personnel Administration : Role of Civil Service in dev
eloping societies; pos ition classification, Recuritment, Training, Promotion, P
ay and Service conditio ns. Relations with the Political Executive; Administrati
ve Ethics. 8. Financial Administration : Budget: Concepts and forms. Formulation
and execut ion of budget, deficit financing and public debt, Accounts and Audit
. 9. Union Government and Administration in India. British legacy : Constitution
al context of Indian Administration; The President, Prime Minister and the Counc
il of Ministers; Central Secretariat; Cabinet Secretariat, Prime Minister's Offi
ce , Planning Commission; Finance Commission; Election Commission; Comptroller a
nd Auditor-General of India. Public enterprises: Patterns, role performance and
imp act of liberalization. 10. Civil Services in India : Recruitment to All Indi
a and Central Services. Uni on Public Service Commission; Training of Civil Serv
ants. Generalists and Specia lists. Minister-Civil Servant relationship. 11. Sta
te and District Administration : Governor, Chief Minister, Secretariat, C hief S
ecretary, Directorates, District Collector: changing role. 12. Local Government
: Panchayati Raj and Urban local Government: Main features, structures, finances
and problem areas. 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendement s.
Given the time constraint, a well-thought out strategy makes the difference betw
een success and failure. Intensive and focused approach built on analysis needs
to be scrupulously adhered to. Some ingredients of a 'smart strategy' are: Buil
ding a general overview Perusal of question papers of previous years Identificat
ion of 'thrust areas' for concentrated pursuit Examination-bias Adequate writing
practice for time management and evolving right content Continuous review of pe
rformance and appropriate corrections At least two weeks before the examination,
writing exercises should be sto pped and the entire attention should be on revi
sion. Every candidate appearing for the mains examination should be conversant w
ith th e fundamentals of the structure, process, behaviour and environment of th
e admin * * * * * * *

istrative system. It's equally important that the student should be conversant w
ith the contemporary and the current developments of socio-political and econom
i c nature that have a close bearing on the functioning of the administration. F
or example, changing governors; direct grants to panchayats; economic reforms wi
th a human face; globalisation and administration; second generation reforms and
t he social infrastructure; right to information and participative development.
Amassing information is a big 'don't'. Candidates should be able to identify 'c
o re areas' which cannot be avoided in the context of the mains examination and
co nsolidate. Most importantly, study and writing practice should reinforce each
ot her. Writing practice holds the key to success. It ensures legibility, time
mana gement and adherence to word limit. Effective introduction, logical build u
p and balanced conclusion send the right signals to the evaluator. Every questio
n nee ds to be studied carefully to understand the exact requirements. For insta
nce, s ome years ago, in the mains examination, the office of the Prime Minister
was gi ven and some took it for Prime Minister's Office. Several times, the que
stions a re general in nature and not direct. For example, criminalisation of po
litics an d politicisation of crime; public sector enterprises are neither publi
c nor ente rprises; recruitment of recruiters needs to be streamlined and planni
ng in India needs to be depoliticised. For short questions, answers should be di
rect and precise. In a long essay, intr oduction should be appealing and effecti
ve. Elaboration of the theme should be p roperly prioritised. Sequencing should
be done in such a manner that one paragra ph logically follows from another. Dep
ending upon the paper I or II, apt illustr ations add value. While answering a q
uestion on welfare administration, the conc ept of welfare needs to be supplemen
ted with the initiatives undertaken by the g overnment highlighting the differen
t types of programmes, the coverage and the r esource profile. Unlike general st
udies, public administration requires interpre tative skills, ability to correla
te theory and practice; and synchronise convent ional with the current. For exam
ple, presidential activism in India; budget as a n instrument of socio-economic
transformation; citizen-administration interface and e-governance; regulation an
d development; development and delivery models. Paper I Administrative theory :
Section - A Theories of Administration: Scientific Management, Human Relations'
School, Bure aucratic Theory and Systems Approach - These are all essential theo
ries and stud ents need to focus on critical aspects, which is not there in Gene
ral Studies (G S). Students need to be exhaustive with their preparation, which
should be based on 3Cs - comprehensive, clarity and critical approach. Structure
of Public Organisations: In GS, a general approach to public sector is required
whereas in Public Administration, the approach to this is actually amp lificati
on of government policy. Few years ago, a question in the main stage in the Publ
ic Administration paper was, `Welfare obligation of public sector has be en aban
doned in the era of liberalisation''.This question will never come in GS. The na
ture of this question is provocative and you need to respond with a positi ve at
titude. Your reply could begin with:''Public sector still fulfil nation's g oal
of welfare....'' Or, there might be a question which says, ''Since 1967, pos iti
on of governor has been politicised''. Administrative Behaviour: This topic is a
real challenge and students need to be thorough with a concept like motivation.
They need to be thorough with atleast three thinkers which include Maslow, Herz
berg and Macgregor. They need to make a comparative account of all three of them
. The year preceding, a quotation from Macgregor's original book of quotation wa
s given. Accountability and Control: We are in a parliamentary system and studen
ts need t o be clear about Parliament and its functions. They should read books
on governa

nce by Arun Shourie and Bimal Jalan. They also must be conversant on how Parliam
ent functions in all aspects. Section B Administrative Reforms: This is a dynam
ic area as the emphasis is on technology. Students need to be thorough with legi
slations like Right to Information, rende ring administration through people-cen
tric institutions like panchayats and naga r palikas. Concepts like social audit
ing and participatory governance need to be studied in detail. Comparative Publi
c Administration: You need to read thinkers like Riggs. Earlier , public adminis
tration was centred around Western concepts whereas the focus is now on third wo
rld countries like India. Students are expected to be familiar w ith issues like
governance, rural development, privatisation and human rights in Brazil, China
and South Africa. Development Administration: Students need to approach this top
ic with an open mi nd and with some amount of reading. They need to follow inter
national trends on how technology is impacting administration across third world
and elsewhere. Thi s is relevant for India as there is a political dimension to
the whole concept a s it deals in issues like federalism and decentralisation.
It has a dimension of administration where you deal with various aspects like po
verty alleviation, em powerment, retraining and administration machinery. Public
Policy: It's a challenging topic and students need to be aware about Dror who s
poke maximum on issues related to public policy. Students need to be aware of ho
w the country is developing particularly on issues related to disinvestmen ts. S
tudents need to be aware of anti-poverty programmes and how employment-gene rati
on schemes have evolved all these years. Financial Administration: This topic is
routed in Indian practices. You have iss ues like Parliament and Comptroller an
d Auditor General of India (CAG) and how d o they function but students have to
be absolutely clear on these issues.There i s premium on latest knowledge like t
he PM's and finance minister's recent speech es as well. Paper II Indian Adminis
tration : Section - A Evolution of Indian Administration: Areas which are crucia
l include criminalisat ion of politics and politicisation of crime, President's
rule, Federal system in context of coalition government, fiscal and monetary pol
icy. Constitutional framework: President, Parliament and judiciary: These are im
porta nt but students should not follow the conventional mode while preparing fo
r main paper. Questions are generally twisted and they need to muster facts whil
e givi ng right interpretation. Like in GS, the questions will deal with discret
ionary power of Governor (Article 116) whereas for public Administration, they m
ight as k, ''Governor is an agent of centre''. Similarly in GS, the question mig
ht be ba sed on Panchayati Raj System based on 73rd amendment. In Public Adminis
tration, they might ask, ''Panchayats are not development delivery vehicle, they
are an i ndependent tier of governance in true Gandhian spirit''. Students need
to read n ational dailies to prepare for these kind of topics. Union Government
and Administration: The focus is on Prime Minister's Office (PM O) and Cabinet
Secretariat. The PMO has acquired enormous importance during the last three to f
our decade. Students should focus on how the relationship between PMO and Cabine
t Secretariat has evolved under these c i rc u m s t a n ce s. Ne wspapers and j
ournals should be good source of information on this issue. State Government and
Administration: Students need to be thorough with the Sarka

ria Commission's report on Centre-State relations and National Commission to Rev

iew the Working of Constitution report which was submitted in 2002 District Adm
inistration and Local Government: The changing role of collector vis -a-vis tech
nology, District Rural Development Authority, District Development Au thority, s
tructure of panchayats and nagar palikas. There should focus on on iss ues like
Right to Information, Cyber Governance. Section B Public Services: There should
be focus on UPSC, State Public Service Commissions and how ''recruiters should b
e properly recruited''. The constitutional aspect and functions of these institu
tions need to be studied. Control of Public Expenditure: Sections like Parliamen
t and CAG have already bee n dealt in paper I. They need to further focus on Pub
lic Interest Litigation, ju dicial activism which includes extra ordinary interv
ention by Supreme Court and High Courts in order to restore dwindling public fai
th in system because of decl ining public morality at highest level. Administrat
ive Reforms: Queries on Right to Information, social audit, panchayat i raj, Vol
untary R e t i re m e n t Schemes are part of the administrative refor ms. Machi
nery for Planning: Student need to focus on Planning Commission and how the role
has changed during all these years. They need to find out that whether Pla nnin
g Commission should be merged with Finance Commission in the context of libe ral
isation. Students can gather information from national newspapers, periodical an
d journals. Administration of Law and Order: The role of central and state agenc
ies in the m aintenance of law and order and articles published on these issues
should be giv en top priority Welfare Administration: This is an evolving area a
nd there is no specific readin g material available on this issue. Students need
to go through annual report of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Writ
ing: Application is the key while writing this paper. Avoid jargon and abbre via
tion, be precise. Premium is on accuracy, insightfulness and application.
Public Administration Prelims This subject has become very popular as a prelims
optional. The main reasons are : Availability of good coaching and study materia
l Guidance is easy since many seniors opt for it Subject matter is easy to under
stand Syllabus is quite manageable However, a very good score is required as the
competition is tough. The main sou rce for the prelims is the TMH guide by Laxm
ikanth(But don t rely

completely on it as this proved undependable from 2006 on wards). It is, of cour

se, a very good compilation from various sources in exam orientation. The prepa
r ation should be such that any question based on the material in this book shou
ld be an swered. The study should be thorough including the various questions gi
ven in th e book. Since the questions can be factual and can be asked from anywh
ere, there i s need for wide study. But the first effort should be to study TMH
thoroughly an d the main standard books to gain basic clarity. After that, some
time can be spent every d ay in scanning various material for the additional stu
dy matter. Here, you shoul d not spend too much time and also should not read fr
om end to end, but only scan for areas that you have not done before or some new
facts. Books: Awasthi and Maheshwari- Public Administration Prasad and Prasad Thinkers Ramesh Arora - Indian Administration Mohit Bhattacharya - New Horizons
in Public Administration. Maheshwari - Indian Administration IGNOU books. Pract
ise lots of tests from anywhere you get. Identify the weak areas and focus accor
dingly. Note: Make a note of the mistakes that you make in the tests and try to
rectif y them If you do not understand the question, look at the Hindi translati
on and see if you can gain clarity on whats being asked. Prepare mnemonics sheet
s to remember various facts. Read them again and again, especially before the ex
am date. Main Examination: The advantage and disadvantage of this optional is th
e huge availability of mate rial. Aspirants waste most of their time searching f
or the books and material. The sec ret for success in this optional is writing p
ractice. Unless well practiced, it is n ot possible to score good marks. So writ
ing skills matter a lot in securing good marks. But with practice it is always p
ossible to improve. Note: The questions might seem indirect and vague, but with
good basic clarity any question can be attempted. In recent times, the long ques
tions are being asked directly. The examiner only expects you to write a simple
logical answer with clarity. Do not try to remember too many quotations as it is
difficult to reproduce. The introduction and conclusions should be written well
Do not read all the books from end-to-end. Prepare topic wise in a comprehensiv
e manner. The main priority should be given to gain the basic clarity. Practise
the previous years papers. Use examples, contemporary relevance, case studies, f
low diagrams etc. Read case studies from The Hindu, Frontline, Kurukshetra, Yoja
na and EPW. While answering Indian Administration questions, answer with respect
to Constitution, Preamble, etc and how the issue is in conformity with basic st
ructure. Introduction chapter is to be studied well as it deals with the basic e
volution of the

subject and the trends. The questions might seem difficult. But with good unders
tanding it can be very scoring. The concepts can be used elsewhere also. T he ma
terial is available on most topics. The Theories chapter should be done well. Th
is is a very scoring and with wellde fined syllabus preparation can also be comp
rehensive. The material availability is good. 86 The Structure chapter is easy a
nd can be covered quickly. But questions may not be asked every year. The materi
al availability is good. The Behaviour chapter is very scoring. The questions ar
e also asked regularly. T he material is also good. The chapter on Accountabilit
y is scoring. This area is important in the contempo rary trend. So questions ar
e asked regularly. There is also scope for lot of innovati on. The material is d
eficient for some areas. There is also a need to prepare from curre nt affairs.
The Administrative Law is very short chapter with limited scope. The questions m
ay not be asked regularly. But it should be attempted if given in exam. It is s
cori ng and the material is also available. The administrative reforms chapter i
s short and easy. It can be scoring with innovations. The material is also stand
ard. Be open to any information that appe ars in the newspapers. The CPA chapter
is scoring. It can be attempted in the exam. But questions may n ot come every
year. The material availability is problem in some aspects. The DA chapter is re
levant to Indian context. So prepare well for this area. The questions are asked
almost every year. The material availability is a problem fo r some areas. Lot
of innovation and contemporary relevance can be included. The Public policy chap
ter is not asked every year. The material availability is also a problem. The pe
rsonnel chapter is very scoring and should be attempted. The questions are also
asked every year. The material is good. So, do well in this chapter. Check out f
or latest information in newspapers. The Financial chapter is scoring in some ar
eas. There is problem of material in some topics. In Indian administration, the
scoring areas are: evolution, framework, union, st ate govt., reforms, law and o
rder, welfare. Though a lot of books can be mentioned for this optional but I wi
ll mention the standard ones which should suffice. PAPER-I BOOKS 87 1. New Horiz
ons of public administration by Mohit Bhattacharya 2. Administrative thinkers by
prasad and prasad (theories part) 3. Public Administration by Sharma and Sadana
(read administrative law, personnel administration, financial administration, d
evelopment administration, comparitive administration and other paper-I topics)

4. IGNOU material (read public policy) 5. Public Administration by Avasthi and M

aheshwari (read administrative law and administrative reforms) PAPER-II BOOKS 1.
Indian Administration by Rajini Goyal and Arora (covers most of the topics of p
aper II) 2. Public Administration by Avasthi and Maheshwari (read public sector)
3. Indian Administration by Avasthi and Avasthi (read administrative reforms, a
dministration of law and order) 4. Introduction to the constitution of India by
D.D.Basu and last but not least 5. Articles from IIPA Journals (aspirants can ge
t Mr.Minocha s collection of articles from IIPA Journals which is sufficient) So
me topics like welfare administration, administration of law and order should be
collected while reading newspapers, India yearbook etc. Other Books for your in
terest/reference: Ramesh Arora - Indian Public Administration Comparative Public
Administartion Sachdeva - Social welfare administration Public Policy - Sapru R
umki Basu - Public Administration Maheshwari - Indian Administration NCERT books
IJPA special edition in1998 on the occasion of Golden Jubilee Social Theory & D
evelopment Administration Mohit CPA Ramesh Arora Sociology REFERENCE BOOKS FOR P
RELIMINARY EXAMINATION: 1. IGNOU Material 2. Sociology - Sachideva & Vidhya Bush
an. 3. Sociology - T.B. Bottomore. 4. Sociology Themes & Perspectives - Moralamb
ose & R.M. Heald. 5. Unique Guide. 6. Dhilion Guide. 88 7.