Public Administration : Theory and Practice
Contents: Preface. I. Introduction: 1. Public administration: meaning and scope. 2. Nature of public administration. 3. Public administration in developed and developing countries. 4. Public administration and its relation with other disciplines. 5. Approaches to the study of public administration. II. Organisation: 6. Nature and types of organisation. 7. Structure and basis of organisation. 8. Forms of organisation. 9. Theories of organisation. III. Process and principles: 10. Policy-making and implementation. 11. Planning. 12. Decision-making. 13. Group decision-making. 14. Leadership. 15. Supervision. 16. Communication, coordination and control. 17. Authority and hierarchy. 18. Delegation and decentralisation. 19. Public relations. IV. Personnel administration: 20. Nature, scope, functions and significance. 21. Minister-Secretary relationship. 22. Generalist-specialist relationship. 23. Career development planning. 24. Central personnel agency. 25. Classification and structure. 26. All India services. 27. Recruitment and reservation. 28. Training and executive development. 29. Promotion and incentives. 30. Terms of employment. 31. Performance appraisal. 32. Government and staff relations. 33. Conduct and discipline. V. Financial administration: 34. Nature and scope. 35. Ministry of Finance. 36. Principles of budget-making. 37. Budget cycle. 38. Audit system in India. VI. Control over administration: 39. Legislative control over general administration. 40. Executive and judicial control over administration. 41. Public enterprises and control mechanism. 42. Parliamentary standing committees. VII. Legal perspective: 43. Administrative law. 44. Delegated legislation. 45. Administrative tribunals. 46. Citizens’ defender—Lokpal and Lokayukta. 47. Consumer protection machinery. Bibliography. Index.
"Public administration has been in existence since times immemorial. It has assumed greater significance in modern times as an instrument for development and modernisation. Democracy is just not for the survival of the fittest. It is to achieve a life of dignity for the largest number of people. A high quality of democratic life cannot be achieved by society unless the society itself, its organs of governance, its civic institutions, etc. are permeated with a high moral sense which results in justice to all its members irrespective of their different identities.
In the present book, "Public Administration : Theory and Practice", the subject has been discussed in all its aspects in seven sections covering 47 chapters.
Section I, having five chapters, deals with the meaning, scope, emerging trends, nature and significance of public administration and analyses their interrelationship and approaches to problems of administration.
Section II, having four chapters, concentrates on the study of "organisation" in its totality—its meaning and structure, their forms and theories.
Section III, with ten chapters, examines the processes and principles of public administration. These include policy-making, planning, decision-making, leadership, communication, coordination, control, authority, hierarchy, unity of command, span of control, integrated v. disintegrated administration, delegation, decentralisation and public relations.
Section IV, having fourteen chapters, discusses various HRD related issues like personnel administration, minister-secretary relationship, career development, recruitment, promotion, terms of employment, performance appraisal, conduct and discipline etc.
Section V, having five chapters, outlines the nature and scope of financial administration in India, principles of budgeting, budget-making and auditing in India.
Section VI, having four chapters, examines the need of revamping the control over administration, legislative control over general administration, executive and judicial control over administration, public enterprises and control mechanism, parliamentary standing committees, etc.
Section VII, having five chapters, discusses about the legal perspectives of public administration, which include administrative law, delegated legislation, administrative tribunals, citizens’ defender institutes and consumer’s protection.
The chapters are supplemented with case studies and data based upon the research conducted in the field of public administration. The book would be of use to students, teachers, researchers in public administration, civil servants and political elite." (jacket)
