Public Administration- Unit Wise Source of Preparation

Note: Please make personal notes from IGNOU, ARC reports and any other source one may
read over the internet, because it will become very difficult to come back to the sources again
and again. On the contrary, making personal notes will make life easy. 

1. Introduction
a. Meaning, scope and significance of Public Administration- IGNOU pdf on the
same topic- (MPA 012 Administrative Theory Unit 1)
b. Wilson’s vision of Public Administration- Prasad and Prasad
c. Evolution of the discipline and its present status- Chapter 2 of Nicholas Henry-
Paradigms of Public Administration.
d. New Public Administration- IGNOU pdf on the same topic- (MPA 012
Administrative Theory Unit 18)
e. Public Choice approach- IGNOU pdf on the same topic- (MPA 012
Administrative Theory Unit 19)
f. New Public Management- IGNOU pdf on the same topic- (MPA 012
Administrative Theory Unit 21)
g. Good Governance: concept and application- IGNOU pdf on the same topic-
(MPA 011 Unit 17) + New Horizons of Public Administration by Mohit
Bhattacharya – Unit 20
h. Challenges of liberalization, Privatisation, Globalisation- Nicholas Henry-
Page 375, 376; IGNOU MPA 011- Unit14; New Horizons of Public
Administration by Mohit Bhattacharya- Unit 24, 25
i. Minnowbrook Conference 1,2 and 3: IGNOU unit on NPM +
http://www.scribd.com/doc/36606803/Minnow-Brook-III for Minnowbrook 3

Note: Also go through Mohit Bhattacharya for the above topics after reading the
above sources. Just do a reading to see that you are not missing something important.

2. Administrative Thought
a. Scientific Management and Scientific Management movement- Chapter on
Taylor by Prasad and Prasad+ Revision from Mohit Bhattacharya + IGNOU MPA
012 Unit 4
b. Classical Theory- Mohit Bhattacharya
c. Weber’s bureaucratic model – its critique and post-Weberian Developments :
Chapter on Weber by Prasad and Prasad + IGNOU MPA 012- Unit 6 and 7.
d. Dynamic Administration (Mary Parker Follett)- Chapter on M P Follett by
Prasad and Prasad.
e. Human Relations School (Elton Mayo and others)- Chapter on Mayo by Prasad
and Prasad. + IGNOU MPA 012 Unit 8
f. Functions of the Executive (C.I. Barnard)- Chapter on Barnard by Prasad and
Prasad. + IGNOU MPA 012 Unit 15
g. Simon’s decision making theory- Chapter on Simon by Prasad and Prasad +
IGNOU MPA 012 Unit 9
 h. Participative Management (R. Likert, C. Argyris, D. McGregor)- Chapter on
them by Prasad and Prasad + IGNOU MPA 012 Unit 11 and 13.

Note: Also go through Mohit Bhattacharya for the above topics after reading the
above sources. Just do a reading to see that you are not missing something important.

3. Administrative Behaviour: This unit is an extension of unit 2 only. But it would be

good to understand the concepts of this unit, especially on leadership and decision
making, from any book on Organisational Behaviour. I referred to the chapters 6, 11,
13, 15, 19 of Organisational Behaviour by Margie Parikh and Rajen Gupta.
Morale- Read this topic from Awasthi and Maheshwari
4. Organisations:
a. Theories – systems- already covered with Bernard; contingency- already covered
with decision making.
b. Structure and forms: Ministries and Departments, Corporations, Companies,
Boards and Commissions; Ad hoc and advisory bodies; Headquarters and
Field relationships- Public Administration by Laxmikanth Unit 9 ( sub topic
Public Enterprise) + ARC 13th Report- Organisational structure of Govt of India
c. Regulatory Authorities - ARC 13th Report- Organisational structure of Govt of India+
Damodar Committee Report
(http://indiainbusiness.nic.in/newdesign/upload/Damodaran_Committee_Report.pdf)
d. PPP- Go through the introduction of this book-
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=pKAvNQmpXkUC&printsec=frontcover&sou
rce=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Note: Be in touch with website of MoF, Planning commission etc for new
concepts and reports of various committees and website of PIB for report on
PSE’s in india.
5. Accountability and control-
a. Concepts of accountability and control; Legislative, Executive and Judicial
control over administration- New Horizons of Pub Ad- Unit 21+ ARC report on
Citizen Centric Administration.
b. Role of media and interest groups- IGNOU MPS 003 Unit 15 and 16 + ARC
report on social capital.
c. Civil society- New Horizons of Pub Ad- Unit 26 and 28 + ARC report on Citizen
Centric Administration.
d. Citizen’s Charters- ARC report on Citizen Centric Administration
e. Right to Information- New Horizons of Pub Ad- Unit 27+ ARC Report on RTI+
RTI Guide
(http://mofpi.nic.in/H_Dwld.aspx?KYEwmOL+HGoC3PktBWCmTRa5aMHH7u
T6BV0hU4XftgsBo6t5yowVJA==)
6. Administrative Law- Read all the topics from this pdf-
http://persmin.gov.in/otraining/UNDPProject/undp_modules/Administrative%20Law
%20N%20DLM.pdf
+ Read about administrative tribunals from DD Basu.
7. Comparative Public Administration- Read the complete book CPA by Ramesh K
Arora ( it’s only a 180 page book) + chapter on Riggs by Prasad and Prasad.
8. Development Dynamics- Social Theory and Development Administration by Mohit
Bhattacharya- Unit1, 2, 3, 4, 16, 18
9. Personnel Administration-
Note: Read this topic with Civil Services of Paper 2.
a. Importance of human resource development- IGNOU MPA 014- Unit 1
b. Recruitment, training, career advancement- IGNOU MPA 014- Unit 5 and 10
c. position classification- IGNOU MPA 014- Unit 4
d. performance appraisal- IGNOU MPA 014- Unit 6
e. promotion, pay and service conditions- IGNOU MPA 014- Unit 7,8,9 and 19
f. employer-employee relations- IGNOU MPA 014- Unit 18
g. grievance redressal mechanism- already covered in IGNOU unit 19
h. Code of conduct- ARC report on Ethics in Governance
i. Administrative Ethics- New Horizons of Public Administration Unit 22+ ARC
report on Ethics in Governance.
10. Public Policy-
Note: Very well covered in MPA 015 Public Policy and Analysis. Please read it
carefully as UPSC asks typical questions from this topic, and those question’s
answers could mostly be found in these IGNOU notes.
a. Models of policy-making and their critique; Processes of conceptualisation,
planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review and their
limitations- Covered in the IGNOU notes
b. State Theories- Read from any book on political science the following topics-
pluralist theory, elite theory, Marxist theory, capitalist theory, and patriarchal
theory of policy making.
11. Techniques of Administrative Improvement-
a. Organisation and methods- Given in Awasthi and Maheshwari.
b. Work study and work management: Management aid tools like network
analysis, MIS, PERT, CPM: New Horizons of Pub Ad Unit 30.
c. PERT and CPM: IGNOU notes on PERT/CPM.
(http://www.slideshare.net/lohitmatani/ignou-pert-cpm)
d. e-governance and information technology: New Horizons of Public
Administration Unit 29+ ARC report on E-governance.
12. Financial Administration-
Note: Read this topic with Financial Management of Paper 2.
a. Monetary and fiscal policies; Public borrowings and public debt- These topics
can be very well understood IGNOU economics notes. + Read Economic Survey+
Read Monday edition of The Hindu with focus.
b. Budgets – types and forms: Nicholas Henry- Chapter 8
c. Budgeting Process: Awasthi and Awasthi
d. Financial accountability; Accounts and audit- Rajni Goyal and Ramesh Arora-
Unit 27 and 28; ARC Report on Financial Management.