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Weber and Simon in Paper I, the district collector and the CAG in Paper II. Notes for both, past questions back to 2000, and an AI that has read everything from Avasthi to the IGNOU blocks.

  • 26 topics
  • 1,208 past questions
  • 6 standard books
Read the notesPast questions
Ask the Public Administration AI
Suggestion: What did Wilson mean by the politics-administration dichotomy?. Press Escape to use it.

Ask it whatever you’re stuck on. It answers from the 6 books further down this page and shows you the passage it used.

The whole syllabus, one topic at a time

Tap any topic to open its notes. They’re free with your account.

Administrative Theory

12 topics
1Introduction to Public AdministrationMeaning & Scope · Wilson's Vision · Public vs Private Administration2Theories of OrganisationWeber's Bureaucracy · Taylor's Scientific Management · Fayol's Principles3Administrative BehaviourDecision Making Process · Simon's Bounded Rationality · Communication in Organisations4Accountability and ControlConcepts of Accountability & Control · Legislative Control · Executive Control5Administrative LawMeaning & Scope · Delegated Legislation · Administrative Tribunals6Comparative Public AdministrationRiggs' Ecological Approach · Prismatic-Sala Model · Bureaucracy & Development7Development DynamicsConcept of Development · Development Administration · Anti-Development Thesis8Personnel AdministrationHuman Resource Development · Recruitment & Training · Career Advancement & Position Classification9Financial AdministrationMonetary & Fiscal Policy · Types of Budget · Budgetary Process10New Public ManagementGovernance & Good Governance · NPM Paradigm · E-Governance11Public PolicyNature & Scope · Typologies of Policy · Agenda Setting12Techniques of Administrative ImprovementOrganisation & Methods · Work Study · Management by Objectives

The books behind the answers

These are the books the Public Administration AI actually reads. When it uses one, you’ll see a small chip next to the line, and you can open the exact passage.

  • Core TheoryIGNOU Public Administration Paper 1IGNOU course material
  • Core TheoryIGNOU Public Administration Paper 2IGNOU course material
  • Core TheoryPublic Administration (4th ed., 1969)Avasthi & Maheshwari
  • Core TheoryNew Horizons of Public AdministrationMohit Bhattacharya
  • Thinkers & ConceptsAdministrative ThinkersD. Ravindra Prasad
  • Thinkers & ConceptsPublic Administration: An Introduction to Concepts and Theories (1st ed.)Rumki Basu

What UPSC asked in 2026

Three from the latest paper. All 1,208 are here, sorted by topic, whenever you want to practise.

2026 · Paper I · 10 marks“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.Open the question2026 · Paper I · 10 marksThe ideas of Frederick Taylor remain highly relevant in today’s business world, in both the public and private sectors, including the ‘gig economy’. Comment.Open the question2026 · Paper I · 10 marksA transparent organisation keeps the staff in the loop. Describe.Open the question
See all 1,208 questions

When you’re ready to practise

Get an answer markedWrite an answer by hand, take a photo, and see the marks, what it missed and a model answer.Take a testA short test on one topic, to see what actually stayed with you.Revise with flashcardsShort cards on thinkers, terms and facts, each tied to the past questions it helps you answer.

Not sure where to begin?

Start at the top, with Introduction to Public Administration. It sets up the words and ideas the rest of the syllabus keeps coming back to.

Open Introduction to Public Administration