SECTION A : ANSWERS TO THEORY QUESTIONS
1. (a) Explain how ethics contributes to social and human well-being
(150 words/10 marks)
(b) Why should impartiality and non-partisanship be considered as foundational values in public services, especially in the present day socio-political context? Illustrate your answer with examples.
(150 words/10 marks)
Ans. (a) By regulating one’s life and conduct on right lines, ethics promotes individual and family welfare. A moral individual leads harmonious, contented life. His is respected in society, and generally lives without worries, anxieties and guilt feelings. He has a feeling of inner happiness. Morality also helps individuals in living up to their talents and potentials. Morality leads to good character formation which insulates men from dissipating and dysfunctional behaviour. Undistracted by bad feelings and motives, such men are able to steadfastly pursue their life’s goals and aspirations.
Ethics obviously enhances social well-being. Important moral qualitieslike altruism, beneficence, concern for others and empathy promote good will and harmony among people. Society becomes to that extent less egoistic and atomized and gains cohesiveness. Social welfare depends on social virtues and fraternal feelings among men. Ethics refine and ennoble relations between men. Ultimately, a happy moral community rests on the good will and morality of its members. (156 words)
(b) Impartiality and non-partisanship are basic administrative ethics. In public service, unlike in private enterprises, State helps all sections of community. Modern states should not pick and choose whom they want to help or play favourites. Even handed treatment of all citizens is enshrined in the principle of equality. Impartiality implies that all people who are similarly placed are treated similarly. No one is treated better or worse. This objectivity is essential in administration. Nonpartisanship means that officials are neutral between contending groups, and act like umpires.
Unfortunately, modern political and economic situations are full of contention and conflict. There is intense competition for economic benefits and political power. In this situation, civil servants have all the more reason to be neutral. In a contentious election, officials have to be absolutely neutral and rule bound. In providing benefits under rural development and social services, no section of a village should be excluded. This neutral conduct reducestensions and increases social harmony.
2. (a) What do you understand by the terms ‘governance’, ‘good governance’ and ‘ethical governance’? (150 words/10 marks)
(b) Discuss Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of seven sins. (150 words)
Ans. (a) Governance is an umbrella word that designates recent changes in the nature and working of governments.Government is theorganization of the statemachinerythrough which its purposes are formulated and executed. In ‘government’ the emphasis is on its organizational and institutional structures.
Governance focuses more on procedures and changing role of government. It connotes the following aspects:
• New processes of governing; new methods by which society is governed
• Expanding role of civil society in government functions
• Increasingreliance on deliberative as against representativedemocracy
• Involving a network of institutions in traditional state functions
• Declining role of government
Good governance can mean effective governance whereas ethical governance also includes moral dimensions. But these are often used interchangeably. They imply that government listens to people and is accountable to them. Other attributes of good and /or ethical governance are political stability and absence of violence; effective government; rule of law; proper regulatory systems; and control of corruption. (162 words)
(b) Gandhiji identified seven social sins:
(i) Politics without principles obviously places personal and party interests above social good.
(ii) Wealthwithout worki.e. parasitic wealthy leisure class willharm the economy.
(iii) Commerce without morality or more generally lack of business ethics and honesty willdrag down an economy. Problem of bank debts in a way reflects the perils of immorality in business.
(iv) Education without character or mere acquisition of knowledge unaccompanied byindividual moralityor social consciousness willfail to promotesocial progress.
(v) Science without humanity poses problems such as dangerous experiments as in human cloning or reckless use of destructive weapons.
(vi) Worship without sacrifice means that people fail to see that religion needs self-discipline and control. Without them religion becomes fanatical and violent.
(vii) Pleasure without conscience implies that the rulers and the rich pursue their own joys unmindful of the plight of the poor. (151 words)
3. (a) Analyze John Rawls’s concept of social justice in the Indian Context.
(150 word/10 marks)
(b) Discuss the Public Services Code as recommended by the 2nd
Administrative Reforms Commission. (150 words/10 marks)
Ans. (a) John Rawls’s theory of justice is formulated within an abstract, hypothetical situation. It visualizes individuals creating a new society guided by rationally prudential considerations. They are unaware of the concrete details of the new society and whether they will be benefitted or harmed. Rawls argues that even such a model based only on prudence will result in an ethical and just society if the following two basic principles are followed:
(1) Each person should have the maximum liberty compatible with similar liberty for others. (2) Social and economic inequality should be to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged including their access to public offices. (1) Ensures civil liberties; and (2) supports positive discrimination like reservation policies in India. Rawls propoundsjustice with a slant towards the weak.
Our constitution embodies social justice. Framers of constitution based their social justice approach on contemporaneous political, social and economic milieu. As with Rawls they diluted equality for justice, but based on legal principles and Indian context. (164 words)
(b) Civil servants are now covered by conduct rules prescribed in official codes. These are cut and dry ‘do’ and ‘don’t’ statements which are like external commands. Second ARC recommended that civil servants should follow higher ethical codes transcending the conduct rules. Unlike conduct rules, ethical codes will be a voluntarily adopted set of values.
The commission included the following in its ethical code:
• Following the ideals mentioned in the preamble to the constitution
• Apolitical functioning
• Good governance as primary goal of bureaucracy
• Being objective and impartial
• Accountability and transparency in taking decisions
• Maintaining the highest ethical standards
• Merit based selection of civil servants with due regard to diversity of the nation
• Ensuring economy and avoiding wasteful expenditure
• Promoting a congenial and healthy work environment
• Consultative and participatory approach to administration (140 words)
4. (a) “Corruption causes misuse of government treasury, administrative inefftciency and obstruction in the path of national development.” Discuss Kautilya’s views. (150 words/10 marks)
(b) How could social influence and persuasion contribute to the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan? (150 words/10 marks)
Ans. (a) The quotation flags three adverse effects of corruption. It leads to loss of public revenue or misuse of government treasury. For example, when natural resources are allocated at below-market prices or without transparent bidding, government revenue is lost. Public suffers losses if in collusion with contractors, officials implement projects at high cost with low quality. Administration has to be dynamic and fast moving to speed up investments, growth and job creation. A system mired in corruption, bedevilled by delays, and unresponsive to enterprise will be inherently inefficient and ineffective. Hence, policy-makers are emphasizing on transparency, accountability and speedy decision making. World Bank and other development agencies have been highlighting that even infusion of massive economic aid cannot generate development in the absence of good governance. A corruption-free and efficient administration is indispensable for economic development. Besides investment, economic growth requires an appropriate complex of institutions and attitudes in a society. It is remarkable that Kautilya anticipated these modern insights so far back in history. (164 words)
(b) Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has many components such as urban sanitation, cleanliness in public places and ending open defecation. Apart from money, technology and organization, these programmes need change in people’s attitudes and greater civic sense. Social influence and persuasion help in such social programmes especially in the eradication of open defecation.
Social influence and persuasion work in different ways. Social influence operates when common people imitate the life styles or conduct of the better off whom they regard as role models or opinion leaders. Advertizing their views through print and electronic media is effective. Thus, if common people realize that better off sections have given up open defecation, they will follow suit.
Persuasion depends on targeting people with suitable messages. The messengers have to be trusted and acceptable to the audience; and the message has to be suitably packaged. It has to appeal to their long term interests. In this Abhiyan, appeal should also be to the civic duties and national pride of people. (164 words)
5. Law and ethics are considered to be the two tools for controlling human conduct so as to make it conducive to civilized social existence.
(a) Discuss how they achieve thisobjective.
(b) Giving examples show how the two differ in their approaches.
(150 words,/10 marks)
Ans. (a) Civilized social existence requires that men should observe norms necessary for preserving healthy social interactions. They should avoid violence and anti-social behaviour. They have to observe laws and morals which sustain economic and social activity.
(b) Law lays down these conditions as commands which people have to obey or suffer penalty. Laws are promulgated by the sovereign. They have an element of compulsion. Laws represent the minimum of ethics needed for social survival. Thus criminal laws against murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping and the like ensure orderly social life. Without these laws, life becomes unsafe, social peace is lost, and social survival is threatened.
Morals are voluntary. They are derived from religions and social practices. They are rules which experience has shown as conducive to individual happiness and social harmony. People are taught morals through persuasion and upbringing. Parents, teachers and preachers teach morals. They do not dictate or command. Morality covers many more areas of life than law. Law controls individual actions which have social impacts. (166 words)
6. Our attitudes towards life, work, other people and society are generally shaped unconsciously by the family and the social surroundings in which we grow up. Some of these unconsciously acquired attitudes and values are often undesirable in the citizens of a modern democratic and egalitarian society.
(a) Discuss such undesirable values prevalent in today’s educated Indians.
(b) How can such undesirable attitudes be changed and socio-ethical values considered necessary in public services be cultivated in the aspiring and serving civil servants? (150 words/10 marks)
Ans. (a) Educated youth in India are often egoistic, cynical, acquisitive and lack social spirit. They lack work ethic, commitment to ideals, and sense of duty. Youth tend to be indifferent to the plight of others, with no fellow feeling for them. They are socially conservative and reactionary still clinging to caste, dowry system, patriarchy and superstitions. They believe in shortcuts and making money by dishonest means. They consider government jobs as privileges which they are entitled to flaunt.
(b) Change in such attitudes has to be carefully fostered since it requires changes in mind set. Parents and educators should encourage children and youth to cultivate theircharacter with emphasis on ideas of duty, concernforothers,conscientiousness, and scientific outlook. The duties of citizens embedded in the constitution should be included in school syllabi. Student should be encouraged to participate in sports, games and NCC for building the team spirit. Public servants should be encouraged to follow codes of conductand ethical norms. (161 words)
7. Anger is a harmful negative emotion. It is injurious to both personal life and work life.
(a) Discuss how it leads to negative emotions and undesirable behaviours.
(b) How can it be managed and controlled? (150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. (a) Anger is a strong passion and overwhelms us. Anger leads to loss of self-control and clouds our thinking. Instead of thinking calmly, we obsess about the event which
made us angry and about its perpetrator. Anger persists and delays return to normal psychological state. An angry person acts irrationally. Nowadays we hear of incidents of ‘road rage’ in which drivers unleashtheir anger on others. School teachers similarly thrash kids over trivial issues like not doing homework or neglecting studies. But moral indignation felt for cruel acts is desirable.
(b) Many self-improvement gurus talk about ‘anger management’ these days. Professionals, especially government servants, should cultivate calmness and composure. They should identify situations which make them angry, and control their reactions to them. They should avoid them if possible. Once a civil servant gets angry, he should postpone important decisions. When angry, he should avoid talking to others. Physical activity and switching tasks will dissipate anger. (157 words)
8. “Max Weber said that it is not wise to apply to public administration the sort of moral and ethical norms we apply to matters of personal conscience. It is important to realize that the state bureaucracy might possess its own independent bureaucratic morality.” Critically analyse thisstatement.
(150 words,/10 marks)
Ans. Common morality and bureaucratic morality can diverge. Ordinary morality rests on indi- vidual conscience consisting of ethical codes instilled by family, teachers and preachers. These codes contain moral prescriptions (virtues) and prohibitions (vices). Further, ‘conscientious objectors’,carrymoralitytoimpracticablelimits.Thuspacifistsopposeallformsofwar,militarism andviolence. Othersaretotallyagainstkillinganimals. Someothersaretotallyagainstabortion. These matters of conscience cannot be included in bureaucratic morality. Even less stringent personal morals lie outside bureaucratic ethics. Ethics is wider than law which bureaucrats follow.Liberalsthusdisagreewithmethodssecurityagenciesareforcedto usewhilefighting terrorists and separatists. Further, officials have to decide matters objectively based on laws. As a result, they seem formal, cold, emotionless and impersonal. In ordinary life among families and friends many disputes are settled informally based on emotional bonds and affections. But personalized methods of settling differences cannot work among individuals without social ties. (155 words)