Public Administration Optional Syllabus

Here is the official UPSC Public Administration Optional syllabus for Paper I and Paper II, arranged paper by paper and unit by unit. Under each unit we give the official text first, then break it into numbered topics, so you can track your preparation and match every previous year question to its topic.

Source. UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026 notification (Notif-CSP-2026-Engl-060226Rev.pdf, pp. 142–144), upsc.gov.in. The syllabus has been unchanged in recent years.

Scheme. Two papers of 250 marks each (total 500), 3 hours each. Paper I: Administrative Theory (12 units). Paper II: Indian Administration (14 units). Each paper has two sections (A and B) of four questions each, but the syllabus does not assign units to sections: questions from any unit can appear in either section, so the units are listed here in the official order without a section split.

Syllabus at a glance

Paper	Unit	Topics
Paper I	1. Introduction	8
Paper I	2. Administrative Thought	8
Paper I	3. Administrative Behaviour	5
Paper I	4. Organisations	7
Paper I	5. Accountability and Control	8
Paper I	6. Administrative Law	4
Paper I	7. Comparative Public Administration	5
Paper I	8. Development Dynamics	7
Paper I	9. Personnel Administration	9
Paper I	10. Public Policy	3
Paper I	11. Techniques of Administrative Improvement	4
Paper I	12. Financial Administration	6
Paper II	1. Evolution of Indian Administration	7
Paper II	2. Philosophical and Constitutional framework of Government	5
Paper II	3. Public Sector Undertakings	4
Paper II	4. Union Government and Administration	8
Paper II	5. Plans and Priorities	5
Paper II	6. State Government and Administration	7
Paper II	7. District Administration since Independence	4
Paper II	8. Civil Services	9
Paper II	9. Financial Management	6
Paper II	10. Administrative Reforms since Independence	4
Paper II	11. Rural Development	4
Paper II	12. Urban Local Government	5
Paper II	13. Law and Order Administration	7
Paper II	14. Significant issues in Indian Administration	7

Paper I

Administrative Theory

1. Introduction

1.1 Meaning, scope and significance of Public Administration

• Meaning
• Scope
• Significance

1.2 Wilson’s vision of Public Administration

1.3 Evolution of the discipline and its present status

• Evolution of the discipline
• Present status

1.4 New Public Administration

1.5 Public Choice approach

1.6 Challenges of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation

• Liberalisation
• Privatisation
• Globalisation

1.7 Good Governance: concept and application

• Concept
• Application

1.8 New Public Management

2. Administrative Thought

2.1 Scientific Management and Scientific Management movement

2.2 Classical Theory

2.3 Weber’s bureaucratic model, its critique and post-Weberian developments

• Bureaucratic model
• Critique
• Post-Weberian developments

2.4 Dynamic Administration (Mary Parker Follett)

2.5 Human Relations School (Elton Mayo and others)

2.6 Functions of the Executive (C.I. Barnard)

2.7 Simon’s decision-making theory

2.8 Participative Management (R. Likert, C. Argyris, D. McGregor)

• R. Likert
• C. Argyris
• D. McGregor

3. Administrative Behaviour

3.1 Process and techniques of decision-making

• Process
• Techniques

3.2 Communication

3.3 Morale

3.4 Motivation theories: content, process and contemporary

• Content theories
• Process theories
• Contemporary theories

3.5 Theories of Leadership: traditional and modern

• Traditional
• Modern

4. Organisations

4.1 Theories of organisation: systems and contingency

• Systems theory
• Contingency theory

4.2 Structure and forms: Ministries and Departments, Corporations, Companies

• Ministries and Departments
• Corporations
• Companies

4.3 Boards and Commissions

4.4 Ad hoc and advisory bodies

4.5 Headquarters and field relationships

4.6 Regulatory Authorities

4.7 Public-Private Partnerships

5. Accountability and Control

5.1 Concepts of accountability and control

• Accountability
• Control

5.2 Legislative, executive and judicial control over administration

• Legislative control
• Executive control
• Judicial control

5.3 Citizen and administration

5.4 Role of media, interest groups and voluntary organizations

• Media
• Interest groups
• Voluntary organizations

5.5 Civil society

5.6 Citizen’s Charters

5.7 Right to Information

5.8 Social audit

6. Administrative Law

6.1 Meaning, scope and significance of administrative law

• Meaning
• Scope
• Significance

6.2 Dicey on administrative law

6.3 Delegated legislation

6.4 Administrative Tribunals

7. Comparative Public Administration

7.1 Historical and sociological factors affecting administrative systems

• Historical factors
• Sociological factors

7.2 Administration and politics in different countries

7.3 Current status of Comparative Public Administration

7.4 Ecology and administration

7.5 Riggsian models and their critique

• Riggsian models
• Critique

8. Development Dynamics

8.1 Concept of development

8.2 Changing profile of development administration

8.3 ‘Anti-development thesis’

8.4 Bureaucracy and development

8.5 Strong state versus the market debate

8.6 Impact of liberalisation on administration in developing countries

8.7 Women and development – the self-help group movement

• Women and development
• Self-help group movement

9. Personnel Administration

9.1 Importance of human resource development

9.2 Recruitment, training and career advancement

• Recruitment
• Training
• Career advancement

9.3 Position classification

9.4 Discipline, performance appraisal and promotion

• Discipline
• Performance appraisal
• Promotion

9.5 Pay and service conditions

9.6 Employer-employee relations

9.7 Grievance redressal mechanism

9.8 Code of conduct

9.9 Administrative ethics

10. Public Policy

10.1 Models of policy-making and their critique

• Models of policy-making
• Critique

10.2 Processes of policy: conceptualisation, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review, and their limitations

• Conceptualisation
• Planning
• Implementation
• Monitoring
• Evaluation and review
• Limitations

10.3 State theories and public policy formulation

11. Techniques of Administrative Improvement

11.1 Organisation and methods

11.2 Work study and work management

• Work study
• Work management

11.3 e-governance and information technology

11.4 Management aid tools: network analysis, MIS, PERT, CPM

• Network analysis
• MIS
• PERT
• CPM

12. Financial Administration

12.1 Monetary and fiscal policies

• Monetary policy
• Fiscal policy

12.2 Public borrowings and public debt

12.3 Budgets: types and forms

12.4 Budgetary process

12.5 Financial accountability

12.6 Accounts and audit

• Accounts
• Audit

Paper II

Indian Administration

1. Evolution of Indian Administration

1.1 Kautilya’s Arthashastra

1.2 Mughal administration

1.3 Legacy of British rule in politics and administration

1.4 Indianization of public services

1.5 Revenue administration

1.6 District administration

1.7 Local self-government

2. Philosophical and Constitutional framework of Government

2.1 Salient features and value premises

• Salient features
• Value premises

2.2 Constitutionalism

2.3 Political culture

2.4 Bureaucracy and democracy

2.5 Bureaucracy and development

3. Public Sector Undertakings

3.1 Public sector in modern India

3.2 Forms of Public Sector Undertakings

3.3 Problems of autonomy, accountability and control

• Autonomy
• Accountability
• Control

3.4 Impact of liberalization and privatization

• Liberalization
• Privatization

4. Union Government and Administration

4.1 Executive, Parliament, Judiciary: structure, functions, work processes

• Executive
• Parliament
• Judiciary

4.2 Recent trends

4.3 Intra-governmental relations

4.4 Cabinet Secretariat

4.5 Prime Minister’s Office

4.6 Central Secretariat

4.7 Ministries and Departments

4.8 Boards, Commissions, attached offices and field organizations

• Boards
• Commissions
• Attached offices
• Field organizations

5. Plans and Priorities

5.1 Machinery of planning

5.2 Planning Commission and National Development Council: role, composition and functions

• Planning Commission
• National Development Council

5.3 ‘Indicative’ planning

5.4 Process of plan formulation at Union and State levels

• Union level
• State level

5.5 Constitutional Amendments (1992) and decentralized planning for economic development and social justice

6. State Government and Administration

6.1 Union-State administrative, legislative and financial relations

• Administrative relations
• Legislative relations
• Financial relations

6.2 Role of the Finance Commission

6.3 Governor

6.4 Chief Minister

6.5 Council of Ministers

6.6 Chief Secretary

6.7 State Secretariat and Directorates

• State Secretariat
• Directorates

7. District Administration since Independence

7.1 Changing role of the Collector

7.2 Union-State-local relations

7.3 Imperatives of development management and law and order administration

• Development management
• Law and order administration

7.4 District administration and democratic decentralization

8. Civil Services

8.1 Constitutional position

8.2 Structure, recruitment, training and capacity building

• Structure
• Recruitment
• Training and capacity building

8.3 Good governance initiatives

8.4 Code of conduct and discipline

8.5 Staff associations

8.6 Political rights

8.7 Grievance redressal mechanism

8.8 Civil service neutrality

8.9 Civil service activism

9. Financial Management

9.1 Budget as a political instrument

9.2 Parliamentary control of public expenditure

9.3 Role of finance ministry in monetary and fiscal area

9.4 Accounting techniques

9.5 Audit

9.6 Role of Controller General of Accounts and Comptroller and Auditor General of India

• Controller General of Accounts
• Comptroller and Auditor General of India

10. Administrative Reforms since Independence

10.1 Major concerns

10.2 Important Committees and Commissions

10.3 Reforms in financial management and human resource development

• Financial management
• Human resource development

10.4 Problems of implementation

11. Rural Development

11.1 Institutions and agencies since Independence

11.2 Rural development programmes: foci and strategies

11.3 Decentralization and Panchayati Raj

11.4 73rd Constitutional amendment

12. Urban Local Government

12.1 Municipal governance: main features, structures, finance and problem areas

• Main features
• Structures
• Finance
• Problem areas

12.2 74th Constitutional Amendment

12.3 Global-local debate

12.4 New localism

12.5 Development dynamics, politics and administration with special reference to city management

13. Law and Order Administration

13.1 British legacy

13.2 National Police Commission

13.3 Investigative agencies

13.4 Role of Central and State agencies including para military forces in maintenance of law and order and countering insurgency and terrorism

13.5 Criminalisation of politics and administration

13.6 Police-public relations

13.7 Reforms in Police

14. Significant issues in Indian Administration

14.1 Values in public service

14.2 Regulatory Commissions

14.3 National Human Rights Commission

14.4 Problems of administration in coalition regimes

14.5 Citizen administration interface

14.6 Corruption and administration

14.7 Disaster management

Total: 156 numbered topics across 26 units.

Last updated: 30 October 2026