Public Administration Optional Syllabus for UPSC

Here is the general structure of the Public Administration optional syllabus:

Paper I:

1. Introduction:
   • Meaning, scope, and significance of Public Administration
   • Evolution of the discipline and its present status
2. Administrative Thought:
   • Scientific Management and Scientific Management Movement
   • Classical Theory
   • Bureaucracy and Administrative Theory
   • Behavioral Approach to the study of Public Administration
   • Systems Approach
3. Administrative Behavior:
   • Process and techniques of decision-making
   • Communication
   • Morale
   • Motivation Theories – content, process, and contemporary
4. Organizations:
   • Theories – systems, contingency
   • Structure and forms – Ministries and Departments, Corporations, Companies
   • Public-Private Partnerships
5. Accountability and Control:
   • Concepts of accountability and control
   • Legislative, Executive, and Judicial control over administration
   • Citizen and Administration
6. Administrative Law:
   • Meaning, scope, and significance
   • Dicey on Administrative law
   • Delegated legislation
   • Administrative Tribunals
7. Comparative Public Administration:
   • Historical and sociological factors affecting administrative systems
   • Administration and politics in different countries
   • Current status of Comparative Public Administration
8. Development Administration:
   • Changing profile of development administration
   • ‘Antidevelopment thesis’
   • Bureaucracy and development
   • Strong state versus the market debate

Paper II:

1. Evolution of Indian Administration:
   • Kautilya’s Arthashastra
   • Mughal administration
   • Legacy of British rule in politics and administration – Indianization of public services, police, revenue administration, and local administration
2. Philosophical and Constitutional framework of government:
   • Salient features and value premises
   • Constitutionalism
   • Political culture
   • Bureaucracy and democracy
   • Bureaucracy and development
3. Public Sector Undertakings:
   • Public sector in modern India
   • Forms of public sector enterprises
   • Problems of autonomy, accountability, and control
4. Union Government and Administration:
   • Executive
   • Parliament and the Judiciary
   • Planning and Economic Development
5. State Government and Administration:
   • Executive
   • Legislature
   • District Administration since Independence
6. Local Government:
   • Historical development
   • Urban and Rural Local Government
   • 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments
7. Civil Services in India:
   • Reforms in the civil services
   • All India Services
   • Personnel Administration
8. Public Policy:
   • Models of policy-making and their critique
   • Processes of conceptualization, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation

Please refer to the official UPSC website or the latest notification for any updates or changes to the Public Administration optional syllabus. It’s also recommended to study the most recent question papers and take guidance from experts in the field.