Book List for PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Book List



  1. Mohit Bhattacharya- (New Horizons Of Public Administration )
  2. M.Laxmikanth <-- don't go xerox here - buy original.
  3. Nicholas Henry (Public Affairs and Public Administration ) <-- only some chapters are imp so you can go xeroxing.

  4. Stephen Robins : Essentials in Organizational Behavior (Low Price Edition)
    1. There are two Stephen Robbin books in the market, one is thick like encyclopedia but you've to buy the thinner book –which is only 300 pages.
  5. Prasad & Prasad (Administrative thinkers) OR TMH/S.R.Maheshwari (most people use Prasad & Prasad.)
  6. Avasthi & Avasthi (Indian Administration)<- MUST, because this covers entire Paper-2 syllabus. OR Arora & Goyal (not recommended cause its not updated)
  7. Wizard Indian Polity .

  8. Solved prelim Paper set of Public Administration Prelim
    1. (Arihant / Wizard) –
don't buy the yearwise paperset (i.e. 2001,2002,...)

but buy Topic wise arranged papersets (like Arihant / Wizard etc) which gives you answers + detailed explaination as well, so you can see what UPSC asks from each topics and why is the given answer the correct answer.

Optionally

  1. Avasthi & Maheshwari (you'll notice that some chapters of it are copy paste of Avasthi & Avasthi.)
Don't buy Sharma Sadana (its just one thick boring book– but if you do A& M then no need to go for S& S )

Instead of A&M, you use Fadia And Fadia (same things, but I like A&M. for no rational reason.) 

If you've been reading list of books from other websites / coaching classes.

Then you'll see that they've recommended

  1. LM Prasad
  2. OG Glen Stahl
  3. Terry & Franklin
  4. Nigro & Nigro
  5. IIPA Journals.
All these are good books but I did not use them cause
  1. Lack of time
  2. I can't find them in the book stores where I live. 
  3. They're more about MBA and less about Public Administration
  4. I did not see many questions in UPSC that my books did not cover and these books did. i.e. you might get 1 or 2 questions from them, but for that you've to read and revise 1000+ pages. Its not worth it with respect to, Cost benefit ratio. (at least it isn't for a lazy person like me.)
However if you read these books - its well and good but if you can't due to lack of time, then don't worry much.

Apart from that – most importantly,

don't even waste your time glancing over coaching classes etc stuff or even listening to people who talk about it. because more you listen - more your brain starts doubting about your method of preparation. read my thread on notes making for further explanation on why shouldn't you use coaching classes readymade notes.

Bad things about coaching classes books are,

  1. Many of them cover only easy to understand topics so when you read- you feel happy "oh yes my syllabus finished so quick and I learned everything" but that won't help any in the prelims. Your reading has to be broad and of a PG student level.
  2. Mostly they consolidated everything from the reference books written above, and wrote it in their own words, along with some copy paste website articles, some tables, chart etc.
  3. Some of them overburden you with unnecessary facts and data & statements

(I DON'T have any commercial interest in criticizing any books, classes, but I'm writing what I felt reading them.)

There are many 'guides' available for paper 1 & paper 2. Like Unique/ Jawahar etc. but they're good for M.A. like college Exam, for UPSC – its completely different approach about understanding the basic concepts and then their practical application + current affairs related to it. so don't waste time on such guides.

Its better to read the standard books instead and make your own notes- that way you won't skip what he might have. And when you write it in your own words, you'll remember it permanently. It's the best way in my opinion. Since Public Administration is short- making notes doesn't take huge time.

e.g. the readymade notes will talk ornamentally about what are Max Weber's ideas on bureaucracy etc. but it won't go in your long term memory (nor will you understand the basic concept) UNLESS you write it with your own hand , in your own language about what you understood. Otherwise the moment UPSC asks any twisted question on Max Weber , you'll feel like its outside of the syllabus. (not just Max Weber, this applies to everything.)

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