Upsc Examination Papers on Public Administration in India

Abstract

Every year, about 15,000 people take the civil service entrance examinations administered by India's Union Public Service Commission. Many choose to write optional papers on public administration. These optional papers have a significant influence in shaping the academic discipline of public administration in India, and they illustrate the current boundaries of the discipline. This research note examines the content of these optional papers over ten years, 2009 to 2018. The papers place an unusual emphasis on American theoretical literature on public administration. However, the view of American literature is outdated in important ways. There is also a significant mismatch in emphases between the theoretical and practical aspects of the papers. Although reform of the syllabi for these papers is desirable, it may be difficult in practice.