Category: Pub Ad

IAS Score

Pub Ad as an optional for IAS: Why to choose by Ashutosh Pandey

  • by IAS Score

Since the Wilsonian dichotomy public administration has traversed a chequered path, not so because its roots were not firmly planted as a discipline but more so because it was a continuous “polylogue” of multiple thoughts and ideas, constantly impinging upon its contours. These multiple approaches have lent a dynamic character to the discipline. Initially perceived as a plain managerial endeavour -where Americanization was the safest bid, it came to be turned upside down with the growing realization that, governmental operations and character are conditioned by “ecology”, which was pointed …

In the Indian context, the constitutional order and institutional framework, the history of administrative growth  and diversification including the massive impact of colonialism on our administration, the myriad  and pluralistic society have all been interrogating public administration, since independence.

As teachers and aspirants of UPSC ,we are not much confronted by the theoretical underpinnings of the discipline, but more by the utilitarian maxim of “will public administration” serve as a useful tool in achieving my “dream destination” of a berth in IAS, well the answer may be a pessimistic NO or an optimistic “WHY NOT”. First of all we need to understand the core framework of UPSC exam….

1. Mains exam basically evaluates three aspects –scholastic aptitude-information retention –and –analytical ability, strictly in that order.
2. Questions are broadly framed in order to assess the overall understanding of the subject along with its practicability ,which is a trend  Post-2011.
3. The syllabus is only an indication not the conclusion.

This framework seems more pronounced in case of Public administration than in other optional, which may have created disenchantment than inclination towards the subject. But reality is the “Glass is half full”. If we analyze the UPSC paper of PUB AD, we find-

• The questions are getting more and more analytical.
• There is general trend towards popping up “unknown” names and conceptual linkages.
• Increasing number of questions with sub-parts and sub-sub-parts.
• Thorough intermixing of paper-1 and paper-2, freely and non-commitally.
• Decreasing scores and increasing efforts.

Though all the points maybe valid but may not be totally non-contestable——

• Right from the change in syllabus, be it general studies or an essay paper, there is a growing percentage of analytical questions, so why PUB AD would be left out…it’s a natural process of evolution of the exam.
• Understanding and mugging theoretical facts will erode the utility of PUB AD as an optional, which is not only PREPARING YOU FOR EXAM,BUT FOR NEXT #30 yrs IN SERVICE. So practical aspects need to be emphasized, which can be easily comprehended by reading newspapers which we do inevitably for GS.
• The trend is an useful guide where the static approach to deal with the exam is needed, if you are thorough with the CONCEPTS ,it hardly matters, more so without interlinkages how can you develop CONCEPTS ,in the FIRST PLACE.

Public administration has an esteemed place in the galaxy of optionals for Civils preparation, its utility is practical than theoretical where it can be punished –or –rewarded but not IGNORED.

Considering the adhocism in the preparation of public administration we as teachers and well wishers of students are trying to simplify your public administration woes by zeroing down to the best conclusive methodology of preparation….

Here is the list of 29 approaches ,which if done in detail would help you sail through PAPER- 1, whatever be the trend:

1. Structural
2. Functional
3. Structural-functional
4. Classical
5. Neo-classical/human relations
6. Behavioral
7. Beauracratic
8. Ecological
9. Comparative
10. Developmental
11. Public policy
12. Empirical
13. Normative
14. Descriptive/prescriptive
15. Post-modernism
16. Humanistic-phenomenological
17. Positivist
18. Decision making approach
19. Post –behavioral
20. Post-bureaucratic
21. Marxist
22. Neo-Marxist
23. Systems
24. Gender
25. Governance
26. Critical/realist
27. Techno centric
28. Anti-developmental
29. Neo-liberal

And mind you these approaches may not take more than 11/2 month to study with intelligent sources at hand,, fetching you cool 200 plus marks.

We would be publishing you the detailed notes on these over the time, with specific inputs from our student and now a bureaucrat…ASHISH PAL, who scored 220 plus in PUB AD, mains 2013….in our next article.

Remember “HISTORY IS CREATED BY THOSE WHO BREAK THE RULES”
KEEP WORKING AND DON’T STOP “PUBADDING”

IAS Score

Relevance of Public administration as an optional subject

  • by IAS Score

Friends, I want to share my experience with the public administration optional subject, a subject which has made me fall in love with this entire UPSC preparation. Had this subject not been there with me, neither I would have enjoyed this preparation to such a great extent, nor I would have cleared UPSC in my first attempt in just a span of 8 months of preparation.

By: Ashish Pal, IRTS 2013
Pub ad Marks: 221

Friends, I want to share my experience with the public administration optional subject, a subject which has made me fall in love with this entire UPSC preparation. Had this subject not been there with me, neither I would have enjoyed this preparation to such a great extent, nor I would have cleared UPSC in my first attempt in just a span of 8 months of preparation.

Before I started preparing for UPSC in March 2013, I had a diverse work experience of 6+ years in various areas such as software development, investment banking, marketing and entrepreneurship. Just like most other aspirants, I myself was very confused about which optional to take up. I talked to many fellow aspirants and seniors around and all had their own views regarding which subject can fetch you maximum marks. Almost, everyone was saying no to public administration since this subject was not given good marks.

But, my way of seeing things and selecting optional was *fortunately* very different from others. The factors that I considered were these –
1.    I wanted to take up a subject which will be entirely new to me, which gives me new things to learn (rather than taking up my own engineering subjects in which I had already done my bachelors). Reason was very simple, 8-10 months down the line, I didn’t want myself to feel that I have wasted 8 months studying/revising something which I had been doing something for last 6 years.
2.    I wanted to extend my knowledge specifically in public administration for the only reason that this is not one of the subjects, but this is the only subject, which has relevance in whichever service you go in after clearing UPSC,  and has relevance in almost the entire private sector world as well.
3.    The linkages of this subject with psychology, sociology, political science, and other arts subjects gave me practical understanding of whatever I see around in the society. For every action you take in your day to day life, be it in your family life, social life, or official life, you learn enormously from this subject . (This one factor made me really fall in love with this subject during my preparation of 8 months)
Today, when I see myself coming from an engineering background, a person who was never used to seeing various shades of grey in your life, this one subject has made me come such a long way in just a span of 8 months that in most practical aspects this subject has changed me as a person.

Now, coming to the marks-scoring aspect – When I was deciding the optional, in spite of everyone saying me that this subject won’t give you higher score, I had a very strong feeling about two things –
1.    If I am in love with my subject, the answers will come out from my heart, and if I have understood the basics properly, the examiner will be bound to give me marks (irrespective of the fact whether others are getting good or bad marks). And, this is what happened, my first tryst with this subject (for just about 8 months) fetched me 221 marks in this optional in Mains-2013 (which I heard was among top 10 all india). So, my conclusion is – pick up any subject, but make sure that you actually fall in love with the subject and you are bound to be a topper. Don’t take subjects like Pali, literature, geography, public administration, etc. just for the sake of the reason that others get good marks in some subject or vice versa.
2.    I was very clear in one aspect that if I don’t clear UPSC in my first attempt, only thing I don’t want is to feel guilty after not clearing Mains that I have wasted my 1 crucial year of my life. This thought came very clear to me after meeting fellow aspirants, among whom 9 out of 10 aspirants I found were always feeling guilty after studying subjects like Pali, History, Literature, or Geography – which they never liked at the first place, and later when they don’t clear UPSC they get very depressed thinking that last 1 or 2 years of their life they have simply wasted and haven’t added any value whatsoever in their own life or their personality). So, conclusion is that pick up a subject which is really intellectually stimulating and which opens your horizon to as much extent as possible. Don’t treat UPSC prepartion period as something where you have to waste your crucial years of life. These preparation years can be the most productive ones for you (just like I had).

Some tips about how to go about studying this subject
•    First thing first – Get the basics absolutely right. For example, studying constitution, parliament from the best of basic books like Subhash Kashyap, DD Basu, etc. Don’t pick up Laxmikant of Polity just because it is simple or just because it will make you clear your prelims. Pick the best book which will make you clear UPSC and not Prelims.
•    Second, get in touch with the right mentor. I was so very fortunate that I cleared my UPSC in 8 months of time, just because I had got in touch with a mentor, friend and guide (Ashutosh Sir). This is so very important because, I didn’t want to spend 4 years of mine figuring out myself that what are the right steps to take during the preparation. Ashutosh Sir had 6-7 years of relevant experience under his belt not just as a teacher but also as a student of UPSC (which was the most wonderful thing I could have got), that helped me make all the right moves at right times and I could crack this exam in 8 months and that too with Public Administration Optional.
•    Third, don’t be afraid to go deep into the subject. This is the best advice that I got from my mentor. Seeing my mentor’s knowledge and effort, I got so motivated that when all other pub ad students were studying the traditional books, I finished 3 books by mohit bhattacharya, I finished all 15 ARC reports, all 7 Punchhi commission reports, around 25 awesome World Bank case studies on Indian Public Administration …. And eventually this is what paid off (I got 121 in Paper-2).
•    Have a mentor, who keeps updating his knowledge as these are the areas which are still evolving.
•    Last but not the least, have belief in yourself and your mentor. There were innumerous times when I blindly followed my mentor and my own hunches (forget about what other aspirants are doing or following). Remember – If you follow the rat race, then your result will also be like a rat race.

Winners don’t do different things but they do things differently.