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Glossary Terms
| Term (EN) | Definition | Exam Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative Public Administration | Study of administrative systems across nations to find patterns and best practices | CPA intro 2-mark |
| Spoils System | Appointing party loyalists to government jobs after electoral victory (USA 1829–1883) | USA civil service |
| Pendleton Act | 1883 US law introducing merit-based civil service examinations | USA reform |
| Senior Executive Service | Elite corps of ~8,000 senior US federal managers; created by Civil Service Reform Act 1978 | USA civil service |
| Westminster Model | UK parliamentary system: fusion of executive-legislature, collective cabinet responsibility | UK admin |
| Collective Responsibility | All cabinet ministers publicly defend government decisions; resign if unable to | UK/India feature |
| Northcote–Trevelyan Report | 1854 UK report founding merit-based, permanent, neutral civil service | UK admin — India link |
| Permanent Secretary | UK's top career civil servant heading each department; politically neutral | UK admin |
| Next Steps Initiative | 1988 UK reform creating executive agencies for service delivery separate from policy | NPM UK |
| Semi-Presidential System | Dual executive: President holds executive powers; PM accountable to parliament (France) | French admin |
| Cohabitation | French system where President and PM are from different political parties | France 5th Republic |
| ENA / INSP | France's elite civil service school (1945–2022/renamed); produced presidents and top officials | French elite CS |
| Énarques | Graduates of ENA; France's elite civil servant class | French admin |
| Préfet (Prefect) | Centrally appointed head of French department; represents national government | Compare Collector |
| Communist Party of China (CPC) | Sole ruling party of China since 1949; controls all administrative levels | China admin |
| State Council | China's cabinet; highest executive organ; led by Premier; oversees 26 ministries | China structure |
| Keju (科举) | Chinese imperial civil service exam system (605–1905 AD); world's longest | Civil service history |
| Guokao (国考) | China's national civil service examination; world's most competitive (2–3 million/year) | China CS entry |
| Cadre System | CPC members who hold leadership positions; assessed on performance, stability, loyalty | China admin |
| Guanxi (关系) | Chinese concept of personal relationships and networks facilitating bureaucratic dealings | Cultural feature |
| Prismatic Theory | Fred Riggs' model: developing societies have fused traditional + modern admin features | CPA theory |
| Sala Model | Riggs' term for prismatic society's administrative sub-system — formal rules, informal practice | CPA developing countries |
| Ecological Approach | Riggs' method of studying admin systems within their social-economic-political environment | CPA methodology |
| Hatch Act | 1939 US law prohibiting federal employees from active political campaigning | US CS neutrality |
| Comparative Administration Group (CAG) | Founded 1960 by Fred Riggs under Ford Foundation; pioneered comparative PA scholarship | CPA history |
Sources: Ferrel Heady, "Public Administration: A Comparative Perspective" (5th ed.); Fred Riggs, "Administration in Developing Countries" (1964); RPSC 2026 Official Syllabus; Northcote–Trevelyan Report (1854); US Civil Service Reform Act 1978; France's Constitution of 1958; China's Civil Servant Law 2005 (revised 2018); ARC (India) Reports.