KSLU Solved Question Papers
Political Science (Public Administration)
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 4
2025 Jun Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 4 Political Science (Public Administration) 2025 Jun Question Paper with Solutions
First published on munotes.in on 21 October 2026.
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The question paper reproduced here is the paper as set by Karnataka State Law University at the 2025 Jun examination.
Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2025 Jun examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2025 Jun examination, reproduced as Karnataka State Law University set them, in the order it set them. Long reading passages are shortened to their first and last lines and our summary; the original paper prints them in full. Only the answers are ours. See the original question paper.
Duration 3 hours · Total marks 80 · 20 questions answered
Instructions printed on the paper
- N.B. (1) Answer all five Units. (2) One essay type question and short note/ problems is compulsory from each Unit. (3) Figures to the right indicate marks. (4) Answer should be written either in English or Kannada completely.
How to use this volume
Solve the paper first, under exam conditions and against the clock. Then read the answers here and mark your own. Reading a solution before attempting the question feels productive and teaches very little, because recognising an answer is not the same as being able to write one.
Q1
Unit I
(a)Define 'Public Administration' and explain its scope and importance.[10]
Answer
For full marks, cover: the word "administration" and two or three standard definitions (Wilson 1887, L. D. White 1926, Willoughby 1927); the broad and narrow senses; scope under three views (POSDCORB or managerial, subject-matter, and the modern wide view) with the main fields of study; importance in eight points tied to the modern Indian State; a conclusion.
Meaning of public administration
The word "administer" comes from the Latin ad and ministrare, meaning to serve or to manage affairs. Administration is therefore the organised work of getting things done to serve a purpose. When that work is done by the government for the public, it is called public administration.
Public administration is the part of government that acts. Laws and policies are only words on paper until officials carry them out. Collecting taxes, running hospitals, issuing ration cards and holding elections are all acts of public administration.
Standard definitions
1. Woodrow Wilson (1887). In his essay "The Study of Administration", Wilson wrote: "Public administration is detailed and systematic execution of public law". He added that "Every particular application of general law is an act of administration". He also called administration "government in action".
2. L. D. White (1926). White defined it as "the management of men and materials in the accomplishment of the purposes of the state". This definition stresses management, that is, the efficient use of people and resources.
3. W. F. Willoughby (1927). Willoughby said the word is used in two senses. In the broadest sense it means the conduct of governmental affairs in any branch: legislative, executive or judicial. In the narrowest sense it means "the operations of the administrative branch only".
4. Luther Gulick (1937). Gulick described the work of the chief executive by the word POSDCORB. It stands for planning, organizing, staffing, directing, co-ordinating, reporting and budgeting.
From these definitions we may draw a simple meaning. Public administration is the organisation and management of people and resources by the government. Its aim is to carry out laws and public policies for the welfare of the people.
Scope of public administration
Scholars have explained the scope in three main ways.
1. The POSDCORB or managerial view. Gulick treated the scope as the seven managerial techniques of the chief executive. These techniques are common to every department, whether it deals with health, defence or education. The view is neat and easy to teach. Its weakness is that it looks only at tools and ignores the subject matter of each department.
2. The subject-matter view. This view says administration is always administration of something. Police administration needs knowledge of crime. Health administration needs knowledge of medicine. So the scope includes the substantive services of the State and not only common techniques.
3. The modern wide view. Today the scope combines both. It covers the whole working of the executive branch and its links with the legislature, the courts and the citizen. It includes the following fields:
- Organisational theory: structure, hierarchy, line and staff agencies, departments and public corporations.
- Personnel administration: recruitment, training, promotion, discipline and morale of civil servants.
- Financial administration: budgeting, accounting, audit and parliamentary control of money.
- Public policy: how policies are formulated, put into action and evaluated.
- Administrative law: delegated legislation, tribunals and judicial control over administration.
- Comparative and development administration: how administration works in different countries and how it brings social and economic change.
- Accountability and control: legislative, executive, judicial and popular control, including bodies like the Lokpal and the Comptroller and Auditor-General.
Importance of public administration
1. It is the instrument of government. No government can rule without an administration. Every promise of a political party becomes real only through officials and offices.
2. It is the backbone of the welfare State. The modern State does far more than keep law and order. It provides schools, health care, pensions, food security and employment. All these services need a large and skilled administration.
3. It gives stability and continuity. Ministers and governments change after elections. The civil service remains. It keeps the government working without a break during changes of power.
4. It is an agent of social change and development. In a developing country like India, administration carries out plans for poverty removal, rural development and industry. The 73rd and 74th Amendments made local bodies part of this work.
5. It protects the citizen. Administration maintains public order and guards life and property. Through rules, appeals and grievance bodies it also protects the citizen against misuse of power.
6. It handles emergencies. Floods, epidemics and wars are met by administrative machinery. The response of district administrations during disasters shows how much depends on it.
7. It touches daily life. From the registration of a birth to the issue of a death certificate, every citizen deals with public administration throughout life.
8. It makes democracy work. People judge a democracy by the quality of services they receive. Honest and efficient administration builds public trust in the system.
Conclusion. Public administration is government in action: the organised carrying out of laws and policies by public officials. Its scope has grown from Gulick's managerial techniques to a wide field covering organisation, personnel, finance, policy, administrative law and accountability. Its importance lies in the fact that the welfare State, development and democracy itself depend on it. As the functions of the State keep growing, the importance of a capable and accountable public administration also grows.
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