UPSC Mains 2026 Public Administration Optional Paper I questions

28 questions from the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026. Official UPSC paper (PDF) · All Public Administration Optional PYQs

1. "There is an urgent need to incorporate the contribution of other disciplines into debates and analyses about governance, not the prevalence of disciplinary silos." Comment.

   10 marks

2. The ideas of Frederick Taylor remain highly relevant in today's business world, in both the public and private sectors, including the 'gig economy'. Comment.

   10 marks

3. A transparent organisation keeps the staff in the loop. Describe.

   10 marks

4. Have governments under governance become more transparent and accountable? Elucidate.

   10 marks

5. HaIHAS at Ue & fare art farce fare war S 1" facet SIT "Dicey's three principles of the 'Rule of Law' have been further developed to meet the immense needs of a democratic society." Discuss.

   10 marks

6. Different paradigms of public administration deal with the questions of 'How' and 'Why', but do not negate the centrality of the discipline. Discuss.

   20 marks

7. Douglas McGregor's 'Professional Manager' is a rational, emotive individual whose primary role is to work through the differences and build a managerial team. Explain how his idea of the 'Professional Manager' is distinct from Theory 'Y'.

   15 marks

8. Individuals' perception of fairness and equity at the workplace motivates them to give their best. How can fairness and equity be reinforced to improve productivity in an entity? Discuss.

   15 marks

9. Bureaucratic features have remained constant in organisations despite the development of different forms under NPM and Public Governance approaches. Give reasons for the persistence of these bureaucratic features.

   20 marks

10. There is no single best way to manage an organisation. Instead, it is about the optimal structure and strategic fit between the organisation's internal sub-systems and its dynamic external environment. Elucidate.

11. The fine demarcation between judicial control and judicial overreach disappears when judicial prudence is replaced by activism. Critically examine.

    15 marks

12. Abraham Maslow propounded the theory of needs, which identified the basic needs that human beings have in order of their importance. McClelland believes that we all have three motivators, and individuals with different motivators exhibit distinct characteristics. Critically examine.

    20 marks

13. Examine the tension between the functional efficiency of delegated legislation and the risks it poses to accountability and the rule of law.

14. Hierarchical structures do not align with the modern business world. Discuss the different forms of structuring modern organisations.

    15 marks

15. The objective of policy sciences is to develop policy knowledge for better policy-making. Comment.

    10 marks

16. Administrative ethics is an abstract concept, and in practice, is an unresolved dilemma between 'what is' and 'what ought to be'. Comment.

    10 marks

17. Is state-led development an artificial distortion of market forces?

18. "No tax shall be levied or collected except by authority of law." Analyse.

    10 marks

19. Work study and Work measurement are techniques for improving administrative efficiency. Comment.

    10 marks

20. "Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization (LPG) successfully resolved the structural crisis of the welfare state with emphasis on market efficiency, undermining the social equity goals essential to public service." Explain.

    20 marks

21. Critically analyse the differences between Ferrel Heady's focus on administrative structures and Fred Riggs's ecological 'Prismatic' model. Which one of these frameworks provides a more effective tool for the study of developing nations? Examine.

    15 marks

22. New communication technology has not only enabled more robust public engagement with the government, but also serves as a new means of internal organizational teamwork. Discuss.

    15 marks

23. The advent of Comparative Public Administration not only widened the knowledge of Public Administration, but also contributed to developing its understanding in a cross-cultural and cross-national framework. Examine.

    20 marks

24. Rationality in policy-making is a challenge, and its absence is a predicament for the policy process. Examine.

    15 marks

25. Deficit budgeting as a tool for stimulating economic development emerged with government investment and initiative. Is deficit budgeting still relevant in the era of liberal ideology? Justify your answer.

    15 marks

26. Financial integrity, compliance with laws and performance standards, and efficient, economical and effective service delivery performance are mandatory for every government. Discuss the existing practices in ensuring public financial accountability and also give suggestions to improve it.

    20 marks

27. "Modernization of public services has become an unavoidable priority of governments worldwide." Discuss the key global trends driving the modernization of public services in the light of the above statement.

    15 marks

28. PERT provides a sophisticated framework for managing temporal uncertainties in large-scale projects. Evaluate the strategic utility and inherent limitations of this technique in complex environments.

    15 marks