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UPSC CSE Mains 2023 — Public Administration Questions with Answers
All 56 Public Administration previous-year questions from UPSC CSE Mains 2023, each with the correct answer and a full explanation. Practise them as a free, timed mock test with instant scoring.
Practice Public Administration as a timed test →- Q1.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
Public administration horizons have been expanding to cater to the complex needs of the citizens in the globalized era. Explain.
- Q2.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
Efficiency, in the specialized sense, is an organization’s capacity to offer effective inducements in sufficient quantity to maintain the equilibrium of the system. Analyze.
- Q3.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“The process of decisions ........ is largely technique of narrowing choices.” Explain.
- Q4.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“The judiciary is playing a more positive role in policy formulation, not just in limiting government actions, but also in mandating them.” Comment.
- Q5.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Citizen Charter’s focus is on empowering citizens concerning public service delivery.” Analyze.
- Q6.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
Follett firmly advocated for cultivating interdependence and collaboration among individuals as the key to resolving conflicts and establishing more harmonious and all encompassing social structures. Discuss.
- Q7.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
Minnowbrook III emphasized the importance of empirical research in generating valuable insights for public administration and recognized the need to tailor education in the field to different regional contexts. Examine.
- Q8.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been justified in various ways over time that seek to privatize public services for the profit of private entities.” Do you agree?
- Q9.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Organization theory is not a single theory with a loosely knit of many approaches to organizational analysis, and it provides different answers to different situations.” Comment.
- Q10.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Intrinsic motivation in comparison to extrinsic motivation leads to enhanced performance and creativity.” Examine.
- Q11.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“The backlash against Right to Information (RTI) by the State hampered the citizen’s right to know.” Examine and point out the need to amend the RTI Act to provide protection to RTI activists.
- Q12.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Reddin model of leadership added third dimension to the existing two basic dimensions of leadership identified by Ohio Studies and Blake and Mouton.” Elucidate.
- Q13.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Two-factor theory entails certain factors in workplace resulting in job satisfaction, while others, if absent, lead to dissatisfaction.” Discuss.
- Q14.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Subordinate legislation has its drawbacks; this does not negate the fact that it is also quite beneficial.” Examine.
- Q15.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
The Constitution of French Republic does not prohibit ministers from being the leader of political party; it is customary that minister should not occupy such a post to ensure impartiality.” Explain.
- Q16.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
The ultimate goal of using Management Information System (MIS) is to increase values and productivity in organizations. Explain.
- Q17.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Cost-benefit analysis is of great help to the policy makers in framing policies and providing advice on developing public policy.” Examine.
- Q18.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Monetary policy and fiscal policy are different; but both are used to regulate economy.” Discuss.
- Q19.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Instead of conflicting, the employer-employee relationship should be one of mutual reliance.” Explain.
- Q20.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“The studies in Comparative Public Administration (CPA) got momentum in 1980’s and 1990’s with a new objective and orientation than its previous counterparts.” Critically examine.
- Q21.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“In explaining the ‘development’, Weidner made a distinction between change in the output and change in the system itself; and warned that what is growth from one point of view may decline from another.” Comment.
- Q22.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is based on programme efficiency rather than budget history.” In the light of this, examine the advantages of ZBB over traditional budget.
- Q23.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Public policy-making is an effort to apply the methods of political analysis to policy areas but has concerns with processes inside the bureaucracy and stakeholders.” Discuss.
- Q24.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“In career advancement, civil servants are necessitated to political superiors and hence the phenomenon poses the challenges to civil service neutrality.” Comment.
- Q25.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Information Communication Technology (ICT) can harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to execute the policies more intelligently creating an efficient and effective Government.” Examine and identify the challenges.
- Q26.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“The management of sound public finances used to be the backbone of administrative systems; but unfortunately, it has become the prisoner of populist policies.” Critically evaluate.
- Q27.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Women empowerment is essential for sustainable development; hence it should not be reflected only in programmes but promoting concrete actions to ensure the participation across institutions and communities.” Critically examine.
- Q28.Public Administration Optional — Paper I
“Training is not a short affair; rather it is a step-by-step process of developing skills, habits, knowledge and aptitude.” Elucidate.
- Q29.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
“Kautilya’s Arthashastra is a theoretical work on the State and Statecraft.” Comment.
- Q30.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
Critics, sometimes, argue that bureaucracy is an impediment to a nation’s development. Analyse.
- Q31.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
The Ninety-First Constitutional Amendment Act successfully right-sized the Council of Ministers both at Union and State levels. Comment.
- Q32.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
Is it true that the Finance Commission has been lending financial strength to the local bodies in India? Argue in favour of your response.
- Q33.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
“Parliamentary democracy in India envisages elected head as the real executive of a State.” Discuss.
- Q34.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
“Indian Prime Minister is more empowered than his British counterpart in the Westminster model of democracy.” Elucidate.
- Q35.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
Post-amendment period Panchayats have become a platform of competitive politics, but could not emerge as an agency of planning and service delivery. Examine.
- Q36.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
Former Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra observed : “An efficient judiciary is the hallmark of a great nation.” Comment.
- Q37.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
India has significantly advanced in its development goals, increased efficiency in the public sector and unlocked innovation in private sector by adopting the approach of building Digital Public Infrastructure. Elucidate.
- Q38.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
“Attempts to prepare unified and holistic plans for the country are complex and full of challenges.” Discuss.
- Q39.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
“Excessive political interference in development process has become a cause of concern in achieving national goals.” Examine.
- Q40.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
“There shall be Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions, except .... .” This constitutional provision is being intensively debated nowadays. Elucidate.
- Q41.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
There is a need to redefine and realign the functions of the Deputy Commissioner/District Collector. Elaborate.
- Q42.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
Examine Project Bharatmala - Road to Prosperity - launched in 2017.
- Q43.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
The district training component of Induction Training of IAS officers requires to be revisited. Examine.
- Q44.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
“Mission Antyodaya strives to realize the vision of poverty-free India.” Examine.
- Q45.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
The dynamics of coalitions vary with the nature of leadership, political parties and contemporary political conditions. Analyze.
- Q46.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
Computerization of treasuries has revolutionized the accounting and budget planning process. Comment.
- Q47.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
Do you agree that code of ethics and code of conduct for ministers would help in upholding higher standards of their constitutional and ethical conduct? Explain.
- Q48.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
“Civil Service Reforms along with a transparent transfer policy will go a long way in insulating civil servants from undesired political pulls and pressures.” Discuss.
- Q49.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
“The withdrawal of AFSPA from Tripura has sent a positive signal across the State and North-Eastern Region.” Do you think that now it is an appropriate time to take a more rational policy decision in this matter.
- Q50.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is by far the most significant cleanliness campaign by the Government of India. Comment.
- Q51.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
Accountability of the Executive to the Parliament in the domain of financial administration is secured through CAG reports. Discuss.
- Q52.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
The government response to the Supreme Court’s judgement on Police Reforms has been lackadaisical. The reasons are multiple and multidimensional. Discuss.
- Q53.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
Disasters can push the world’s poorest deeper into poverty. Do you think that a comprehensive strategy to deal with such vulnerabilities is required?
- Q54.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
In the context of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission recommendations, evaluate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) as a preferred mode of implementing infrastructural projects.
- Q55.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
In 2011, India ratified the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). Evaluate the existing legal framework for fulfilling this commitment.
- Q56.Public Administration Optional — Paper II
Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission is a cluster-based approach of converging rural development efforts of different departments of the government. Comment.
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