Administration and Public Policy: Concepts and Theories

By Dr. Esita Sur | Scottish Church College, Kolkata

Learners enrolled: 2052

It provides an insight into the management of affairs of the government at all levels-national, state and local. This will also help us to understand: how human and material resources can be used to reach its desired goals. This course will also highlight the formulation and implementation of public policies, organisational structures and machinery of administration as well as administrative practices. Moreover, it addresses a relationship between government, organisations and its environment.

This course will help the students to understand the key themes, debates, and socio-political significance of issues, which are influencing the study of Public Administration. It will be of interest to even students of other disciplines, like law, history, sociology etc. It is not only useful for Under Graduate students but is also important for research scholars and students who are appearing for competitive examinations.

Every module conforms to the four quadrant approach in that it contains 1) a 20-30 minute multimedia lecture by a recognized subject expert, 2) a detailed essay on the theme covered by the lecture 3) a elaborate list of references including books and related online content 4) a series of questions including MCQ and short and long answer type questions.

Course Coordinator: Dr. Esita Sur

Associate Professor

Dept. of Political Science

Scottish Church College, Kolkata

Producer: Dr. Moasunep Kichu

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Elective
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	8 weeks
Category :	Political Science
Credit Points :	2
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	14 Jul 2025
End Date :	31 Oct 2025
Enrollment Ends :	31 Aug 2025
Exam Date :
NCrF Level	5.5

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1 14/7/2025 - 20/7/2025

Module 1 : Meaning, Nature and Scope of Public Administration

Module 2 : Evolution of Public Administration

Week 1 Assessment Due date: 20/7/2025, 23:59 IST

Week 2 21/7/2025 - 27/7/2025

Module 3 : Classical Theory

Module 4 : Scientific Management

Week 2 Assessment Due date: 27/7/2025, 23:59 IST

Week 3 28/7/2025 - 3/8/2025

Module 5 : Human Relation Theory

Module 6 : Rational Decision-Making

Module 7 : Politics and Administration

Week 3 Assessment Due date: 3/8/2025, 23:59 IST

Week 4 4/8/2025 - 10/8/2025

Module 8 : Methods & Approaches of Public Administration Part 1

Module 9 : Methods & Approaches of Public Administration Part 2

Module 10 : Leadership

Week 4 Assessment Due date: 10/8/2025, 23:59 IST

Week 5 11/8/2025 - 17/8/2025

Module 11 : Decision Making

Module 12 : Communication

Module 13 : Accountability

Week 5 Assessment Due date: 17/8/2025, 23:59 IST

Week 6 18/8/2025 - 24/8/2025

Module 14 : Bureaucracy Part-1

Module 15 : Bureaucracy Part-2

Module 16 : Budgeting

Week 6 Assessment Due date: 24/8/2025, 23:59 IST

Week 7 25/8/2025 - 31/8/2025

Module 17 : Legislative Control Over Administration

Module 18 : Judicial Control over Administration

Module 19 : Globalisation & Liberalisation- I

Week 7 Assessment Due date: 31/8/2025, 23:59 IST

Week 8 1/9/2025 - 7/9/2025

Module 20 : Globalisation & Liberalisation- II

Module 21 : New Public Administration Part 1

Module 22 : New Public Administration Part 2

Week 8 Assessment Due date: 7/9/2025, 23:59 IST

Books and references

1. Arora, R.K and Rajni Goyal (1995). Indian Public Administration. New Delhi: Wishwa Prahashan.

2. Basu, Rumki (2017). Public Administration. New Delhi: Sterling Publications.

3. Bhattacharya, Mohit (2008). Horizons of Public Administration. New Delhi: Sterling Publications.

4. Charabarty, Bidyut (2012). Public Administrations in a Globalising World. New Delhi: Sage Publications.

5. Charabarty, Bidyut and Prakash Chand (2019). Public Policy : Concept, Theory and Practice. New Delhi: Sage Publications.

6. Dwivedi, O.P (1994). Development Administration: From Underdevelopment to Sustainable Development. UK: Macmillan.

7. Maheshwari, Shriram (1994). Indian Administration: An Historical Account. New Delhi: Sterling Publications.

8. Prasad.D.Ravindra, Sivalinga Prasad and P. Satyanarayana (1980). Administrative Thinkers. New Delhi: Sterling Publications.

9. Sapru, Radha Krishnan (2006). Administrative Theories and Management Thought. New Delhi: PHI Learning Private Limited.

10. Singh, Hoshiar, and Pradeep Sachdeva (2012).Public Administration: Theory and Practice. New Delhi: Pearson.

Instructor bio

Dr. Esita Sur

Scottish Church College, Kolkata

Dr. Esita Sur works as an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Scottish Church College, Kolkata. She has published several articles and book chapters in various journals and volumes. She has also participated in national and international conferences. Her research interests revolve around gender studies, religion and minority studies. She has received the Journal of International Women’s Studies Writing Fellowship from Bridgewater State University, USA (2019-2020). She has authored Revisiting Muslim Women’s Activism: Islam, Political Field and Women’s Rights, published in December 2022 by Routledge, Taylor and Francis. She is a member of the Advisory Editorial Board of the Journal Millah: Journal of Religious Studies under the Islamic University of Indonesia.

Course certificate

- Internal Assessment- Weekly assessments released in the course shall be considered for Internal Marks and will carry 30 percent for the Overall Result. Out of all weekly assignments, the best/top five scores will be considered for the final Internal Assessment marks.

- End-term Assessment - The final exam shall be conducted by NTA, and will carry 70 percent for the overall Result.

- All students who obtain 40% marks in the internal assessment and 40% marks in the end-term proctored exam separately will be eligible for the SWAYAM Credit Certificate.

Please take note of the following eligibility criteria if you are pursuing this course for certification or credit transfer:

For SWAYAM Exam (conducted by NTA): A minimum of 40% Marks in Internal Assessments is required to be eligible for the SWAYAM Certificate. The Best/Top five scores from the weekly assignments will be considered while calculating your final internal assessment marks.

For University-Conducted Exam: You must complete at least 75% of the Internal Assessments to qualify for the university’s end-term examination.