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Predicted Questions with Model Answers
Q1 (5 marks — 50 words): What is the Spoils System in US administration? How was it reformed?
Model Answer:
The Spoils System (post-1829, President Jackson) appointed party loyalists to government posts after electoral victory — prioritising political loyalty over merit. It caused administrative inefficiency and corruption. Reform came with the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (1883), which introduced competitive examinations, created the US Civil Service Commission, and extended merit-based selection — reducing patronage appointments significantly. The Civil Service Reform Act (1978) further created OPM and the Senior Executive Service.
Q2 (5 marks — 50 words): Explain the significance of the Northcote–Trevelyan Report 1854 in British civil service history.
Model Answer:
The Northcote–Trevelyan Report (1854) is the founding document of modern British civil service. It recommended: (1) entry by open competitive examination replacing patronage; (2) distinction between intellectual and mechanical grades; (3) promotion by merit over seniority; (4) unified service across departments. This report created a permanent, politically neutral, professional civil service — the model adopted by India for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) and later the IAS under Sardar Patel.
Q3 (5 marks — 50 words): What is France's Prefect system? How does it compare with India's District Collector?
Model Answer:
France's Préfet is a centrally appointed administrator heading each of the 101 departments — representing the national government, maintaining law and order, and implementing national policies. Similarly, India's District Collector (IAS officer) represents both Centre and state in districts. Key difference: France is a unitary state, giving the Préfet more authority than India's Collector, who operates within a federal framework. Both trace the heritage of the colonial district administration concept.
Q4 (10 marks — 150 words): Compare the administrative systems of USA and UK highlighting differences in executive structure, civil service model, and accountability mechanisms.
Model Answer:
USA and UK represent two contrasting models of democratic administration. In executive structure, the USA has a presidential system where the President is both Head of State and Government, with strict separation of powers from Congress; the UK has a parliamentary system where the Prime Minister and Cabinet are drawn from Parliament and collectively responsible to it. In the USA, Cabinet secretaries are not Members of Parliament and cannot be removed by Congress.
In civil service design, the USA retains political appointments at top positions (over 4,000 posts change with each President), while the UK has a permanent, politically neutral civil service since the Northcote–Trevelyan reforms (1854). The UK's Senior Civil Service (SCS) provides continuity across governments; the USA relies on the career Senior Executive Service (SES) below politically appointed heads.
In accountability, the UK Parliament exercises stronger control through collective ministerial responsibility, PMQs, and select committees. The USA relies on Congressional hearings, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and independent Inspector Generals within each department. The USA's separation of powers creates stronger institutional checks, while the UK's fusion of powers creates stronger political accountability but potential executive dominance.
India adopted the UK's civil service model (IAS from ICS) but combines it with constitutional federalism closer to the USA's, creating a hybrid system.
Q5 (10 marks — 150 words): Explain Fred Riggs' Prismatic Theory of Comparative Administration with reference to developing countries.
Model Answer:
Fred Riggs (1917–2008) pioneered the ecological approach to comparative public administration, arguing that administrative systems cannot be transplanted from one society to another without understanding their social, economic, and political ecology. His major contribution is the Prismatic Theory, which proposes three ideal types:
1. Fused Model: Found in traditional agrarian societies — administration, politics, and economy are undifferentiated (like a prism before light refracts). The king governs, adjudicates, taxes, and regulates all at once. Example: pre-colonial feudal kingdoms.
2. Diffracted Model: Found in modern industrialised societies — clear differentiation and specialisation (like refracted light). Separate institutions for legislature, executive, judiciary, bureaucracy. Example: USA, UK, Western Europe.
3. Prismatic Model: The transitional or developing society — partially modernised. Formal modern structures (ministries, courts, elections) coexist with informal traditional practices (nepotism, caste, clientelism). This is Riggs' most significant concept. He called the administrative sub-system of prismatic society the 'Sala' (office/hall) — where officials ostensibly follow modern rules but actually operate through informal power networks.
India's prismatic features: Despite formal meritocratic IAS recruitment, caste-based reservations, political interference in transfers, and informal networks (jugaad, patronage) persist — all prismatic characteristics. Riggs' theory explains why development administration in India faces implementation gaps between policy design and ground reality.
Q6 (5 marks — 50 words): How does China's administrative system differ fundamentally from liberal democratic models of the USA and UK?
Model Answer:
China's administration is fundamentally different in four dimensions: (1) Single-party control — the CPC holds power at every level; no free electoral competition. (2) No judicial independence — courts cannot strike down CPC decisions. (3) No civil service neutrality — officials must demonstrate CPC loyalty. (4) No free press — information control is administrative policy. In contrast, USA and UK guarantee multi-party democracy, judicial review, civil service neutrality, and free media as foundations of governance.