BSEH SS Public Admin cheat sheet

Public administration is the executive branch in action: the implementation of public policy through organised, coordinated governmental activity.

Woodrow Wilson's 1887 essay 'The Study of Administration' is conventionally treated as the founding call for a separate science of administration; politics–administration dichotomy follows.

L.D. White defines public administration as the art and science of management applied to the affairs of the state; Luther Gulick stresses POSDCORB (Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, Budgeting).

Nature: both art and science, both substantive and procedural; it is multidisciplinary, drawing on political science, management, economics, law and psychology.

Scope is classified as POSDCORB (process view), subject-matter view (defence, health, education, welfare) and the broader 'public' view covering the state's executive, legislative and judicial administrative machinery.

Significance rests on instrument of state policy, instrument of social change, provider of public goods, stabiliser of the economy and guarantor of continuity of government.

Public vs private administration: public is subject to legal accountability, transparency, uniformity of treatment and political direction; private is market-driven and profit-oriented.

New Public Management shifts emphasis from process to results: disaggregation, competition, performance contracts, citizen charters and managerial autonomy.

Hierarchy: a graded arrangement of superiors and subordinates in which authority flows downward and responsibility upward; it supplies unity, discipline and channels of communication.

Span of control: the number of subordinates directly supervised; wider spans flatten structure and need fewer levels, narrow spans produce tall structures and closer supervision.

Gulick–Urwick formula: the number of possible relationships grows as n(2^(n-1) + n - 1), so span growth multiplies supervisory complexity.

Unity of command (Fayol): an employee should receive orders from one superior only; its violation creates confusion and conflict of instructions.

Delegation: assignment of duties, grant of authority and creation of accountability; authority may be delegated, accountability cannot.

Centralisation vs decentralisation: centralisation concentrates decision authority at the top; decentralisation disperses it to lower units and is a matter of degree, not an either/or.

Line and staff distinction belongs here too: line commands, staff advises; staff authority is advisory and often functional.

Scalar principle: a clear, unbroken chain of authority from top to bottom; its absence weakens coordination.

Taylor (Scientific Management): time and motion study, differential piece-rate, scientific selection and training, functional foremanship, mental revolution and the 'one best way'.

Fayol: 14 principles including division of work, authority and responsibility, unity of command, scalar chain, esprit de corps; five functions of management (planning, organising, commanding, coordinating, controlling).

Weber: ideal-type bureaucracy resting on legal-rational authority, hierarchy, written rules, impersonality, career officials and technical competence.

Simon: bounded rationality and satisficing; decision-making is the core of administration; fact–value distinction and the 'administrative man' replacing the economic man.

Maslow: hierarchy of needs - physiological, safety, social, esteem, self-actualisation; lower needs must be reasonably satisfied before higher needs motivate.

Herzberg: two-factor theory - hygiene factors (pay, policy, working conditions) prevent dissatisfaction but do not motivate; motivators (achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth) create satisfaction.

McGregor: Theory X assumes workers dislike work and need coercion; Theory Y assumes work is natural and people seek responsibility; Theory Z blends Japanese and American practice.

Comparative note: Taylor and Weber stress structure and control; Simon, Maslow, Herzberg and McGregor shift attention to decision-making and human motivation.

Chief executive functions: political (policy leadership), administrative (organisation, staffing, coordination), and ceremonial/representative roles.

Chief executive powers typically include appointment and removal, direction and supervision of departments, budget preparation, rule-making, and emergency powers.

Line agencies are directly engaged in achieving the organisation's primary objectives; they exercise command authority over subordinates.

Staff agencies advise and assist line units - personnel, finance, legal, planning and public relations are standard examples.

Auxiliary agencies are service-rendering units that support the whole organisation but do not command line operations, e.g. purchasing, printing, housekeeping; some classifications treat them as a sub-type of staff.

Staff authority is advisory; a staff officer cannot normally issue orders to line personnel without a specific grant of functional authority.

Conflict between line and staff arises from status differences, unclear authority, and staff's tendency to encroach on line decisions.

Coordination mechanisms for the chief executive include cabinet meetings, inter-departmental committees, secretariat control and budgetary review.

India is a federal union with a strong Centre: Union List, State List and Concurrent List under the Seventh Schedule; residuary powers rest with the Union.

Union executive: President as constitutional head acting on aid and advice of the Council of Ministers (Art. 74); the Prime Minister and Council are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha (Art. 75).

State executive mirrors the Union: Governor appointed by the President (Art. 155), Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister (Arts. 163–164).

Article 312 empowers Parliament to create All India Services; IAS and IPS were so created, with the Indian Forest Service added in 1966.

Recruitment to the All India Services and central services is through the Union Public Service Commission (Art. 315) on the basis of the Civil Services Examination.

Training: foundation course at LBSNAA, Mussoorie, followed by professional/phase training and district training; state cadres administer the All India Services.

Civil service reforms: 2nd ARC reports, Mission Karmayogi (2020) capacity building, and the recommendation to shift from rule-based to role-based HR management.

Constitutional safeguards: Art. 311 protects civil servants from dismissal or reduction in rank without inquiry; Art. 312 governs All India Services.

Policy cycle stages: agenda setting, formulation, adoption/legitimation, implementation, evaluation, and termination or succession.

Agenda setting theories: Kingdon's multiple streams (problem, policy, politics) and the policy window; Cobb and Elder's systemic vs institutional agenda.

Formulation instruments: legislation, rules and regulations, schemes, fiscal incentives, and public–private partnerships.

Implementation is influenced by intergovernmental relations, bureaucratic capacity, street-level discretion (Lipsky) and political support.

Evaluation types: formative (process) and summative (outcome/impact); methods include cost-benefit analysis, social audit and performance dashboards.

Institutional actors in India: NITI Aayog (policy think tank replacing the Planning Commission in 2015), Finance Commission (Art. 280), Cabinet Secretariat, and line ministries.

NITI Aayog's Governing Council comprises the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers; the National Development Council is a related extra-constitutional body.

Policy-making constraints in India: coalition politics, federal bargaining, judicial review, fiscal limits and administrative capacity.

Annual Financial Statement (Art. 112): the budget laid before Parliament, showing estimated receipts and expenditure; it distinguishes revenue and capital accounts.

Parliamentary control operates through the Public Accounts Committee, Estimates Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings, cut motions, and the general discussion.

Money Bills (Art. 110) originate only in the Lok Sabha and require the President's recommendation; the Rajya Sabha has limited power of 14 days for recommendations.

Appropriation Bill authorises withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund of India (Art. 114); no money can be drawn without parliamentary appropriation.

Consolidated Fund (Art. 266) and Public Account (Art. 266) differ: only the former requires parliamentary authorisation for withdrawal.

Contingency Fund of India (Art. 267) is placed at the disposal of the President to meet unforeseen expenditure pending parliamentary approval.

Audit: the Comptroller and Auditor General (Art. 148) audits all Union and State accounts and reports to Parliament/legislatures; the CAG's reports are examined by the PAC.

Public accountability tools: RTI Act 2005, CAG reports, PAC scrutiny, Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Administrative law governs the powers, procedures and control of administrative agencies; sources include the Constitution, statutes, delegated legislation, and judicial precedent.

Delegated legislation is permissible where the parent Act provides for it; excessive delegation is struck down as unconstitutional.

Natural justice principles: audi alteram partem (hear the other side), nemo judex in causa sua (no one judge in his own cause), and reasoned decisions.

Judicial review grounds: illegality, irrationality, procedural impropriety (the Wednesbury/GCHQ standards), and proportionality in rights cases.

Writ jurisdiction: Art. 32 (Supreme Court) and Art. 226 (High Courts) issue habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari and quo warranto.

Administrative tribunals: Administrative Tribunals Act 1985 created CAT and state tribunals; Art. 323-A and 323-B provide constitutional backing.

Reform commissions: First Administrative Reforms Commission (1966, Morarji Desai), Second ARC (2005–09, Veerappa Moily) - 15 reports covering RTI, ethics, e-governance and local governance.

Key reform levers: e-governance, citizen charters, Sevottam, Mission Karmayogi, and the Right to Public Services laws in several states.

73rd Amendment (1992) inserted Part IX (Arts. 243–243-O) and the Eleventh Schedule with 29 subjects for Panchayati Raj Institutions.

74th Amendment (1992) inserted Part IX-A (Arts. 243-P to 243-ZG) and the Twelfth Schedule with 18 subjects for Urban Local Bodies.

Three-tier panchayat structure: Gram Panchayat at village level, Panchayat Samiti at block level, Zilla Parishad at district level; states with population below 20 lakh may not constitute the intermediate tier.

Mandatory reservations: Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in proportion to population, and not less than one-third of seats for women; many states have raised this to 50%.

State Election Commission (Art. 243-K) conducts panchayat elections; State Finance Commission (Art. 243-I) reviews the financial position every five years.

District Planning Committee (Art. 243-ZD) consolidates plans prepared by panchayats and municipalities; Metropolitan Planning Committee for metropolitan areas (Art. 243-ZE).

Urban bodies: Nagar Panchayat (transitional), Municipal Council, and Municipal Corporation, with Ward Committees in larger cities.

The 11th and 12th Schedules list functional subjects but devolution of funds, functions and functionaries ('3Fs') remains uneven across states.

India is a federal union with a strong Centre: Union List, State List and Concurrent List under the Seventh Schedule; residuary powers rest with the Union.

Union executive: President as constitutional head acting on aid and advice of the Council of Ministers (Art. 74); the Prime Minister and Council are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha (Art. 75).

State executive mirrors the Union: Governor appointed by the President (Art. 155), Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister (Arts. 163–164).

Article 312 empowers Parliament to create All India Services; IAS and IPS were so created, with the Indian Forest Service added in 1966.

Recruitment to the All India Services and central services is through the Union Public Service Commission (Art. 315) on the basis of the Civil Services Examination.

Training: foundation course at LBSNAA, Mussoorie, followed by professional/phase training and district training; state cadres administer the All India Services.

Civil service reforms: 2nd ARC reports, Mission Karmayogi (2020) capacity building, and the recommendation to shift from rule-based to role-based HR management.

Constitutional safeguards: Art. 311 protects civil servants from dismissal or reduction in rank without inquiry; Art. 312 governs All India Services.