Paper II, Unit 4: Union Government and Administration
An organogram explains where offices sit.
An organogram explains where offices sit. Public Administration also asks how proposals move, disagreements are resolved, decisions acquire authority and implementation is monitored across departments and field organisations.
Official wording of this unit: see the Paper II syllabus (unit 4).
Syllabus phrases and how to read them
| Syllabus phrase | Meaning and preparation focus |
|---|---|
| Executive, Parliament, Judiciary | Study structure and functions through work processes, responsibility and checks. Recent trends must be analysed through evidence rather than general claims of institutional decline. |
| Intra-governmental relations | Examine consultation, coordination, overlapping jurisdictions, rules of business and interdepartmental negotiation. Many delays reflect conflicting mandates rather than laziness alone. |
| Cabinet Secretariat | Understand support for collective decision-making and interministerial coordination. Distinguish facilitating Cabinet business from deciding every policy on behalf of ministries. |
| Prime Ministerβs Office | Study political leadership support, advice, priority-setting and coordination. Compare its role with the institutional functions of the Cabinet Secretariat. |
| Central Secretariat; Ministries; Departments | Explain policy support, administrative oversight, legislative work and coordination. Distinguish the secretariat role from executive and technical implementation. |
| Boards, Commissions; attached offices; field organisations | Classify advisory, regulatory, technical and executive functions by actual mandate. Follow the chain connecting policy design with field feedback. |
Central coordination can resolve silos and accelerate priorities, but excessive concentration can weaken departmental ownership and overload the apex. Judge arrangements by the type of problem: routine execution needs delegation; cross-ministerial conflict may need authoritative coordination.
Paper I: hierarchy, span, coordination, communication and headquarters-field relations. Example: a multi-ministry programme needs an agreed lead, shared milestones and an escalation route; adding a committee without decision powers may simply add another clearance.
When does centralised monitoring improve coordination, and when does it undermine ministerial responsibility?
π£ Join our community