SECTION A : ANSWERS TO THEORY QUESTIONS
1. Conflict of interest in the public sector arises when (a) offtcial duties, (b) public interest, and (c) personal interest are taking priority one above the other. How can this conflict be resolved? Describe with an example.
(150 Words/ 10 marks)
Ans. Conflict of interest arises when a public servant’s official duties and/or public interest and his personal interest collide. Ordinarily, there will be no disharmony between an official’s duties and publicinterest. Democracies ensure that duties of public servants are aligned to laws and norms and to furthering public well being. But in repressive regimes officials may be forced to enforce laws and policies detrimental to public interest. However, this type of conflict is not part of the conventional meaning of conflict of interest. Commonly, it refers to a clash between personal interest and official duties.
A has to decide a land dispute in which his close relative is interested. As this involves a conflict of interest for him, he should report the matter to his superior officer and recuse himself from it.
Or A is implementing a government policy which is harming public interest or hurting people. He should notify his superiors about the problem and try to get the policy suitably changed. (170 words)
2. Examine the relevance of the following in the context of civil service:
(150 Words/ 10 marks)
(a) Transparency
Ans. Transparency prevents official wrong doing since officials’ actions and reasons underlying the decisions are open to public knowledge and scrutiny. By disseminating information on government policies and actions, it promotes public awareness and participation in governance.
(b) Accountability 2014
Ans. Accountabilityensuresthat officials are answerable to their superiorsfor properperformance of assigned duties in line with laws, policies and procedures. It is a pivot of administrative discipline, responsibility and efficiency. (31 words)
(c) Fairness and justice
Ans. Civil servants have to treat all citizens equally without showing bias or partiality. In deciding cases involving individuals or groups, they have to observe scrupulously the canons of procedural and substantive law. Otherwise, there would be no rule of law. (40 words)
(d) Courage of conviction
Ans. Steadfast adherence to one’s principles is a great virtue in civil servants. If one lacks courage, then his good intentions are of no avail. He will be bullied by unscrupulous seniors or politicians to join or condone their unethical actions. (40 words)
(e) Spirit of service
Ans. The major task of civil service is to provide services to people and implement programmes for the poor and the vulnerable. Hence, officials should not be driven by materialistic or monetary goals. They need genuine compassion and a service orientation. (40 words)
3. Young people with ethical conduct are not willing to come forward to join active politics. Suggest steps to motivate them to come forward. (150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. Two main reasons deter idealist youth from entering active politics. Politics is seen as a dirty game fit only for unscrupulous individuals. To be frank, most politicians are engaged in cut throat competition pursuing lucrative offices, power and influence. This atmosphere has to be changed.
Further, to begin with, political avocations are not sources of regular and reliable income. Success eludes the majority of aspiring politicians. No young person would like to pursue politics only to end up in a no-where land in the company of bruised, defeated political aspirants performing petty political tasks.
Besides improving the moral climate of politics, measures to draw idealistic youth into politics could be following.
• Provide remuneration to qualified youth members.
• Recruit self-employed professionals like doctors, accountants, and lawyers.
• Recruit from academics if permissible in law.
• Induct youth from business groups and/or with sufficient independent means.
• Encourage home makers to join politics. (163 words)
4. (a) One of the tests of integrity is complete refusal to be compromised. Explain with reference to a real life example. (150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. Integrity implies that officials should not violate prescribed codes of conduct or their ethical principles for sake of personal gain or advantage or convenience. Officers often face these temptations. An officer may give undue help to an industrial group known to him. He may give in to a minister’s pressure to twist policies against public good. Officials may condone wrong deeds of powerful individuals. Instead of tendering honest, objective advice, they may try to please their political masters.
Two young customs officials visiting Goa check into government guest house. They get small rooms since the guesthouse had many VIP visitors. They meet an acquaintance from an export-import house which also owns a luxurious hotel. He offers them free accommodation and hospitality. As they hesitate, he explains that the hotel always has a
few spare rooms, that it is ‘no big deal’ and that no one else would know. If the officers accept the offer, they would be compromising their integrity. They would be availing a valuable service though not cash. (170 words)
(b) Corporate social responsibility makes companies more profttable and sustainable. Analyse. (150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. At first sight it may seem that expenditure on corporate social responsibility will reduce a company’s resources for reinvestment and business use, and reduce future profits.
But CSR could increase profits of a company in medium term. CSR schemes will improve health, education, and skill development in the company’s neighborhoods. Their beneficial impact will create synergy between the company’s operations and locally available skill set and enterprise. Company will reap benefits of external economies which CSR thus creates.
Further, CSR programmes can reduce local poverty and improve local environment and infrastructure. Although the initial spin off is from company to the local area, it will after a time lag redound to the company’s advantage. It creates a harmonious setting for a company’s working and builds trust with local people. This will reduce transaction costs and boost profits.
Thus CSR can promote social and economic growth which increases public and private expenditure creatinggreaterprofit makingopportunities.Inthismanner,CSR willincrease environmental quality and company’s economic sustainability. (168 words)
5. (a) “Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte. Stating examples mention the rulers (i) who have harmed society and country, (ii) who worked for the development of society and country. (150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. Great individuals who have made a mark in history are strong characters driven by great ambition, and possessed of unmatched energy and drive. They are rigid, single minded and hard driving in pursuing their objectives. If their aims are noble and their methods moral and humane, their actions result in great progress. Contrarily, if their goals are base and if their methods are cruel and inhumane, their actions bring about ruin, desolation and enormous human misery.
Hitler was an evil dictator. Following ruthless fascist ideology, Hitler destroyed democracy in Germany. He converted Germany into a war machine, embarked on aggressive wars, exterminated six million Jews, ruined German culture, and brought about untold misery.
Nehruji was a great but benign leader. He fought for national freedom and laid strong foundations for democracy. He valued individual liberties, liberal outlook and scientific temper. He created the institutional framework for growth of education, indigenous science and technology. Despite his modern outlook, he encouraged national culture, music, danceand art. (165 words)
(b) “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. they are father, the mother and the teacher.”
– A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Analyse. (150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. This quotation highlights the role of parents and teachers in moulding the morals and character of children. Children are impressionable, and the ethical ideas they imbibe influence them throughout life. Their moral character is formed in childhood and early youth. This is the meaning of Wordsworth’s observation that child is the father of man.
Teachers and parents are uniquely placed to shape the thoughts and morals of children. Children share a strong bond of love with their parents, and are particularly receptive to parental influence. If parents rear children in a moral environment and instill values and virtues in them, children will become ideal citizens.
Children have a natural respect for teachers. Teachers acquaint children with natural and social worlds. They regale children with stories, dramas, songs, poems and stirring stories from history. They can inculcate a sense of pride and morality in children by teaching them about our national culture and ethos. Thus parents and teachers through acculturation of children can produce a moral citizenry. (166 words)
6. (a) How will you apply emotional intelligence in administrative
practices?
(150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. Emotional intelligence denotes qualities which increase our self awareness and ability to handle interpersonal relations in personal and official life. The five aspects of emotional intelligence are: self awareness, self regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Although these are an individual’s personal qualities, they can also be applied to administrative practices.
Theapplicationsofemotionalintelligenceinadministrativepracticescouldbethefollowing:
• Banishing negativism and despair
• Staying focussed on the job at hand
• Avoiding self preoccupation
• Avoidingemotional outbursts
• Listening to others and appreciating their thoughts and feelings
• Taking inputs from colleagues while deciding matters or making plans
• Adopting a humanistic, democratic and participatory management style
• Following bottom-up rather than a top down approach in decision-making
• Treating applicants and citizens courteously, considerately and genuinely addressing their problems
• Designing systems and procedures which encourage initiative and innovation and avoiding rigid,mechanistic methods (163 words)
(b) Strength, peace and security are considered to be the pillars of international relations. Elucidate. (150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. The international political system comprises many sovereign, independent nations, and UN Charter governs relations between them. It aims at maintaining peaceful and friendly relations between nations, avoiding wars, and ensuring international security.
Historyhas been marked by incessant wars between nations and resultant destruction and disruptions. UN and League of Nations earlier were created to end wars and to peacefully settledisputes between nations. Still,the scourge of war has not vanished.
The first goal of a nation’s external policy should be to protect its interests, but to avoid wars. No society can prosper or live in comfort without internal and external peace. Peaceful conditions should be permanent so that nations and their citizens have a sense of lasting security. To this end, international arrangements should prevent chances of frequent outbreaks of violence.
While this goal is desirable, no nation can neglect its defence. For, hostilities may erupt suddenly. Hence strength, peace and security are considered the bases of a nation’s international relations. (163 words)
7. (a) The crisis of ethical values in modern times is traced to a narrow perception of the good life. Discuss. (150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. Good life, as narrowly conceived, tends to be equated with riches, power, and luxurious life styles. This is the essence of materialist and consumerist creeds. Chasing various material pleasures becomes the goal of life. This brings an individual into conflict with a broader conception of good life which centres on pursuit of virtue, helping others, cultivating the mind and followingphilosophical, literary and artisticinterests. When an individual makes moral choices, he has to jettison alluring opportunities for material gain and pleasure. An honest public servant has to shun the temptation of illegally making money. In sticking to his official code, he has to forgo chances of ‘high living’ which is central to narrow conceptions of good life. A good life in a narrow sense could mean living comfortably without worries, strains and stresses. This could lead officers to give up principles in order to avoid conflicts with politicians, seniors, and influential people. Thus narrow perceptions of good life have contributed to erosion of moral values. (166 words)
(b) Increased national wealth did not result in equitable distribution of its beneftts. Ithascreatedonly some “enclavesof modernity and prosperity for a small minority at the cost of the majority.” Justify.
(150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. When Indian planning began in early fifties, it aimed at increasing growth by augmenting savings/investment, creating infrastructure, by introducing modern technology, and by promoting heavy industry. Agricultural growth was achieved by increased irrigation, and by use of Green Revolution technology relying on hybrid seeds and fertilizer use. As agricultural land ownership was unequal, this growth benefited the rich landlords. Industrial growth has also disproportionately benefited industrialists (big and small), traders,
professionals, and organized, unionized labour. To this day, most of the employment is generated in the informal sector with low wages, insecure jobs, and non-existent labour welfare provisions. Trickle-down theories falsely argued that benefits will gradually reach the poor. Efforts were made from the Fourth Plan onwards to help the poor by increasing their income by creating employment and income earning opportunities. Despite these, many Indians are poor in terms of income, assets, HDI and general deprivation. Many enclaves of wealth and modernity in cities like Mumbai, NRC, and Bengaluru stand out amidst extensive poverty and deprivation. (167 words)
8. (a) Discipline generally implies following the order and subordination. However, it may be counter-productive for the organisation. Discuss.
(150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. Order and subordination are essential features of hierarchical bureaucratic organizations. They are objective, impersonal and rule bound. Their structure is pyramidical with many layers. Each level is answerable to one above it, and controls those below it.
While these create a chain of command ensuring discipline and accountability, they can be dysfunctional. Excessive discipline saps initiative of officials. ’Discipline and punish’ approach puts officials on guard and creates inhibitions and diffidence in them. They would tend to follow rules, try to anticipate what bosses want, and tread along beaten tracks in order to avoid rebukes from higher-ups.
Modern societies and markets are dynamic and innovation-driven. Innovation flourishes if knowledgeworkerscanworkfreely,spontaneouslydeparting fromroutinepathsandtrying new and effective tools and solutions. Their efforts should not be stymied or throttled, and nor should failures in search of innovation be penalized. Hence, science, technology and research areas need non hierarchical, collegial organizations where the emphasis is on collaboration and creativity and not on control or discipline. (167 words)
(b) Without commonly shared and widely entrenched moral values and obligations, neither the law, nor democratic government, nor even the market economy will function properly.
What do you understand by this statement? Explain with illustration in the contemporary times. (150 Words/10 marks)
Ans. This statement implies that no panoply of legal enactments, democratic forms or free market structures can work effectively unless their underlying principles are accepted and observed by people. Laws are most effective if voluntarily followed. If people are law abiding, legal, social and economic systems will be efficient. Contracts and commercial transactions will operate smoothly without disputes and legal hassles. An efficient legal system has to work through obedience than enforcement.
Marketswill beefficient onlywheneconomicagentsobey rules.Thiscreates a psychological- social-institutional matrix congenial to progress.
Nowadays, greedy politicians run many democracies at the behest of plutocracy with little concern for popular will or welfare. Such formal democracies lack civic engagement and popular participation.
An example of voluntary compliance can be law conferring equal share to daughters and sons in parental property. Although this is settled law, brothers often gang up to unfairly deprive their sisters of their due share. Brothers often resort to frivolous litigation. Instead, they should gracefully follow the law. (166 words)