1. Essential books for RAS Mains PubAd Paper 1
  2. Introduction to Public Administration
  3. Principles
  4. OB (organizational Behavior)
  5. Theories of Organization
  6. Organizational Structures
  7. Personnel Administration
  8. Financial Administration
  9. Accountability and Control
  10. Administrative Reforms
  11. Delegated Legislation and Administrative law
  12. CPA and DA

Essential books for RAS Mains PubAd Paper 1

English Medium Hindi Medium
  1. Public Administration by M.Laxmikanth
 Lok Prashasan by M.Laxmikanth
  1. Administrative Thinkers: Prasad and Prasad
 Prashashanik Chintak by Prasad and Prasad
  1. New Horizones of Public Administration by Mohit Bhattacharya.
 Lok Prashashan ke naye Aayam by Mohit Bhattacharya
  1. IGNOU B.A and M.A.Public Administration booklets (can be downloaded for free, from egyankosh.ac.in or can be purchased from Delhi).
 Same but in Hindi

Also download UPSC’s Public Administration (Mains) question papers of Last 33 years [1979-2011]: here is the link: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9AJvFSzIyiwMGFaOTI3eXZ5WHc/edit?pli=1

Why UPSC papers? Because many static-direct questions remain important for State PSC exams as well, for example

  1. ‘The Central Secretariat occupies a key position in the administrative hierarchy.’
  2. Judicial Control over administration operates through a system of writs. Explain

So go through the old UPSC papers, prepare answers for all static-direct questions relevant to syllabus of RAS.

Introduction to Public Administration

Topic Source
Basic Premises : Meaning, scopes nature and significance of Public AdministrationEvolution of Public Administration as a discipline
  1. First Chapter of Laxmikanth’s book on Public Administratin.
  2. First chapter of IGNOU MPA-012
  3. First Chapter of Mohit
Ecology of administration -social, economic, cultural, political and legal.
  1. MPA-013: chapter 3,4 and 5.
New Public Administration
  1. M.Laxmikanth
  2. Chapter 18 of MPA-012
  3. First Chapter of Mohit

Principles

Principles of Organization – Hierarchy, Unity of Command, Authority and Responsibility, Coordination. Span of Control, Supervision, Centralization and Decentralization, Delegation.

  • These topics are beautifully explained in M.Laxmikanth’s book on Public Administration.
  • For extra fodder material, consult block 3,4 and 5 of EPA-01 (IGNOU BA Public Administration)
  • Chapter 8 from Mohit.
  • The nature of this topic leads to Direct static questions. Hence your score here directly depends on ability to recall number of points during exam hall = revision essential.

OB (organizational Behavior)

Administrative Behaviour – Decision making with Special Reference to the contribution of Herbert Simon, Theories of leadership; Communication, Morale, Motivation (Maslow and Harzberg).

  • Laxmikanth, Prasad, IGNOU MPA-012, EPA-01 block 5.
  • Chapter 10 of Mohit.
  • There may not be enough direct content for Morale topic.
  • You may consult internet for that.

Theories of Organization

Topic Source
  1. Scientific management (Taylor and his associates)
  1. Laxmikanth’s book on Public Administration
  2. Prasad and Prasad
  3. Relevent Chapters in IGNOU BA Public Administration booklet code EPA-01
  4. Relevent chapters in IGNOU M.A.Public Administration booklet code MPA-012
  5. Relevent topics from Mohit.
  1. The Bureaucratic theory of organization (Weber)
  1. Classical theory of Organizations(Henri Fayol, Luther Gullic and others)
  1. The Human Relations Theory of Organization(Elton Mayo and his Colleagues)
  1. Behavioural approach
  1. Systems Approach: Organizational Effectiveness
  • It is one thing to tick answers in Administrative thinker based MCQs, and it is totally different thing to write a decent answer on a particular thinker.
  • Frequent revision and answer writing practice is essential. You don’t need to enroll in some fancy mock test series for this. Plenty of questions given in IGNOU booklets as well as in old Public Administration papers of UPSC.

Organizational Structures

Structure of Organizations-Chief Executive; Types of Chief Executives and their functions; Line, staff and Auxiliary agencies; Departments: Corporations, Companies, Boards and Commissions, Headquarters and field relationship.

  • These topics are again beautifully explained in M.Laxmikanth’s book on Public Administration and IGNOU EPA-01
  • Line-Staff topic from Chapter 8 of Mohit.
  • For extra fodder or any missing topics you may consult Sharma Sadana chapter 9 to 14.

Personnel Administration

  1. M.Laxmikanth’s book on Public Administration.
  2. Mohit Bhattacharya’s Chapter on Public Personnel administration.
  3. IGNOU EPA 04
  • Just like “Statistics and graphs” topic is considered “scoring” in General Studies paper II, similarly personnel administration is considered “scoring” (or atleast that’s what Delhi’s eminent Coaching sirs used to tell hehehe).
  • Anyways point is, Personnel administration, Org.behavior=usually direct static questions, so easier to score decent marks compared to “critically analyse xyz thinker/theory.”
  • But again, no topic is scoring by itself. A topic or an optional subject becomes “scoring” only after you’ve read, revised, understood, digested and practiced it many times.

Financial Administration

  1. LAxmikanth’s chapter on Financial Administration (Chap 8)
  2. IGNOU BA: EPA 05. EPA 05 is quite lengthy but you’ve to do selective study only- of the syllabus topics.
  3. Finally Mohit’s Chapter on Financial Administration to get the gist of everything.

Accountability and Control

  1. Religiously mugup the entire chapter given in M.Laxmikanth’s PubAD book.
  2. Chapter 19 and 22 in IGNOU MPA-013
  3. Mohit’s chapter on Accountability.

Administrative Reforms

O & M, Work Study, Work Measurement; Administrative Reforms; Processes and Obstacles.

  • O&M: Chapter 21 of Indian administration by Avasthi and Avasthi OR Sharma Sadana.
  • Work measurement: Chapter 16 IGNOU MPA 013.
  • Reforms and obstacles: Chapter 23, 25 in MPA-13
  • Mohit’s chapter on Administrative reforms.

Or just skip the whole damn topic. (according to coaching experts lolz!)

Delegated Legislation and Administrative law

  • IGNOU BA Public Administration code BPAE-102.
  • Visit Library, do chapter 36 and 37 from a book named “Public Administration by Avasthi and Maheshwari”. Or wait for a few days, I’ll write an article on it.

CPA and DA

Comparative and Development Administration.

  1. Start with M.Laxmikanth’s book on pubad
  2. Fred riggs from Prasad and Prasad
  3. Mohit’s chapter 15 and 16.

The booklist/ approach for RAS (MAins) Public Administration Paper II is given in separate article, click ME