Free Material by Mango Dolly ( ITS, IRS) : Public Administration Notes 2.0




Read this previous Article by Mango Dolly before going further : Public Administration Notes by Mango Dolly ( ITS, IRS)

This post has been contributed by mango_dolly – one of ForumIAS’s oldest members, one of the few people who has performed well in Public Administration Optional even when the optional did not perform well. He currently serves as Assistance Director General – Foreign Trade, and will be joining the Indian Revenue Service ( IRS ). He just wrote his last Mains, and we all wish him all the best.

Dear Aspirants,

The following came quite handy to me.
New book added to the existing share drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByZddIiTbiBCdzZrcGU0ai1OeDg/view?usp=sharing
Book name: Public Admin Study Guide


Reading topics for Public Policy Implementation !
1. Pressman and Wildavsky
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByZddIiTbiBCZmpiSTFTZ3dGNWM/view?usp=sharing
Especially read the THEORETICAL ASSUMPTIONS OF PRESSMAN AND WILDAVSKY section the document and link it with how policies fail in India based on the wrong assumptions etc !

2. Institutional analysis and development – Elinor Ostrom

3. Evidence Based policy Making – Check for a brief notes on this in my digital notes on Public Policy. Lots of examples in India .. from pilot study of Aadhar/PDS Kerosene etc ..

4. Link the recent poor policy implementation with demonetisation. This will be very good case study


For agenda setting topic in public policy:
1. Read my digital notes – more than enough
2. Topics which one much cover – Iron triangle, Schattschneider’s thoughts on how agenda are set, Lowi’s policy arenas, Lindbloom’s Partisan mutual agreement, Punctuated equilibrium, Kingdon’s 3 stream model, understand how ‘mobilization of bias’ takes place, Bachrach and Baratz’s non decision making, understand what is ‘downsonian equilibrium’ – direct questions may not come on these topics but understanding them will surely help you frame some answers in public policy topic. When you read these topics, you will realise all of these happens in indian public policy scene.
(almost all of these have been covered in my digital notes – for all these topics, just 1 or 1.5 para and not more. No PhD doing)
3. Role of media, public, interest groups, pressure groups etc


Institutionalism – very important concept –
To be studied under syllabus topic: Organizations >> Contingency Theory

This topic sub-unit does not have much to read, except for – open and closed system, systems theory, natural systems theory and theory of equifinality, contingency theory – structural and strategic.

so, apart from above topics, please also read about institutionalism.
1. First read this 2 pager on Philip Selznick’s work on early institutionalism
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByZddIiTbiBCYXJMd1ZuWHpTcGc/view?usp=sharing

2. The newer version of institutionalism as proposed by Paul DiMaggio and Woody Powell
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByZddIiTbiBCamNvUU1id2d0UEk/view?usp=sharing

Note: In this document there is reference to something called ‘TVA’. Actually Philip Selznick did a very important study and published his book called TVA and Grassroots. That book talks about how when a small sub-unit/group poses a potential threat to the stability or existence of a bigger org. then the smaller unit may be “co-opted” or absorbed into the policy-making structure of the bigger org. In exchange for participation in org’s policy making, the smaller sub-unit implicitly agrees not to undermine the general goals of the org. and to defend it, when necessary, against outside attack.

Link the newer Institutionalism to Tata Group and the recent crisis at Tata group. Does institutionalism concept be applied in this case? Think and link it. Its very obvious. Also you can link how CBFC because of societal pressure resorts to moral cuts or film assoc bans pakistani artists etc. You have institutionalism written everywhere.. therefore this topic becomes important.


Interesting ‘leisure time’ study of history of org studies by Charles Perrow: I have his book which i can share in person.
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByZddIiTbiBCOV9BQVpYSHdONlU/view?usp=sharing


All the best 🙂


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