Public Administration and Civics: Theory Plus the Nepali Civil Service
This section combines administrative theory with civic knowledge: how an office is organised, how Nepal's civil service recruits and manages staff, and what citizenship means in a democratic state.
Administrative concepts
- POSDCORB: Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting and Budgeting.
- Hierarchy and span of control: a narrow span means fewer subordinates per supervisor, more levels and a tall structure; a wide span produces a flat structure.
- Line functions directly achieve the organisation's objectives; staff functions advise and support.
- Delegation transfers authority to a subordinate while accountability stays with the delegator; decentralisation shifts authority to an organisational unit.
- Weber's bureaucracy rests on written rules, impersonality, written records and merit-based appointment.
- Motivation and leadership: Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's hygiene factors, and democratic versus autocratic styles.
- Nepal's civil service is governed by the Civil Service Act 2049 and the Civil Service Rules 2050; the Public Service Commission conducts recruitment.
Civic concepts
Citizenship, rule of law, separation of powers, universal adult franchise, political parties, public opinion, and the balance of rights and duties. Nepal is constitutionally a secular, inclusive, federal democratic republic.
Worked example
An organisation keeps a very narrow span of control at every level. What is the structural result? Reasoning: with few subordinates per supervisor, more supervisors and therefore more levels are needed. The result is a tall hierarchy with close supervision but slower communication and higher cost.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing delegation with decentralisation.
- Mixing authority, responsibility and accountability.
- Confusing the PSC's recruitment role with the management role of the ministry responsible for general administration.