Governance and Public Policies CSS Syllabus 2025 | PDF Download
Governance and Public Policies (GPP) has always been a good CSS optional subject. Recently, it has been noticed that it is scoring average and only those who have high command on it can score 80+ marks. It really overlaps with other subjects and can be a good choice if you find interest in it. If you grasp the concepts and terminologies right in governance and public policy, you will be able to score well in your CSS exam in 2026.
Here you can read Governance and Public Policies CSS Syllabus 2025 or download it in PDF as well.
Governance and Public Policies (GPP) CSS Syllabus
1. Governance
- Concept of Governance: Definition and importance of governance in public administration.
- Governance Theories: Classical theories, modern theories, and new approaches to governance.
- Governance Structures: Political systems, institutions, and the role of government in governance.
- Good Governance: Principles, indicators, and challenges of good governance.
- Democracy and Governance: Role of democracy in governance, democratic practices, and governance in developing countries.
- Public Sector Reforms: Civil service reforms, decentralization, and administrative reforms.
- Accountability and Transparency: Mechanisms for ensuring accountability in governance, transparency, and tackling corruption.
- Governance and Development: Relationship between governance quality and socioeconomic development.
2. Public Policies
- Public Policy Concepts: Definition, scope, and importance of public policies in governance.
- Policy Making Process: Stages of public policy formation, decision-making, policy analysis, and evaluation.
- Types of Policies: Social policies, economic policies, foreign policies, and environmental policies.
- Policy Formulation: Theories and models of policy formulation, actors and institutions involved in the process.
- Public Policy Implementation: Role of government agencies, the public, and private sectors in policy implementation.
- Challenges in Policy Implementation: Barriers to effective policy implementation, political interference, bureaucratic obstacles, and resource constraints.
- Policy Evaluation: Methods and tools for evaluating the effectiveness of policies.
3. Political Economy
- Economic Systems: Comparative analysis of capitalism, socialism, and mixed economies.
- State and Market: Role of the state in economic governance, privatization, and market regulation.
- Public Finance: Government revenue, taxation, public spending, and fiscal policy.
- Economic Development: Policies for sustainable economic growth and poverty alleviation.
- Globalization and Governance: Impact of globalization on national governance and policy-making.
4. Public Administration
- Public Administration Theories: Classical, human relations, systems theory, and new public management.
- Role of Bureaucracy: Bureaucratic structures and their role in governance and policy execution.
- Administrative Law and Ethics: Legal framework governing public administration, ethics in governance, and public sector integrity.
- Civil Services: Structure, functions, and reforms in civil services for better governance.
5. Role of International Organizations in Governance
- Global Governance: The role of international organizations (UN, WTO, IMF, World Bank) in global governance and policy-making.
- International Policies: Global policies on human rights, development, environment, and security.
6. Pakistan’s Governance and Public Policies
- Governance Structure in Pakistan: Constitutional framework, political system, and governance challenges in Pakistan.
- Public Policy in Pakistan: Policy-making in Pakistan, political instability, social issues, economic policies, and challenges in policy implementation.
- Reforms in Pakistan: Analysis of public sector reforms, education reforms, and efforts to improve governance in Pakistan.
Recommended Books for GPP CSS Exam
| Topic | Recommended Books | Author(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Governance | – Governance in the 21st Century | Mark Bevir |
| – Good Governance in the 21st Century | UNDP | |
| – Theories of Governance | David Held | |
| 2. Public Policies | – Public Policy: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Policy Analysis | William N. Dunn |
| – Public Policy and Administration | Nicholas Henry | |
| – Public Policy Making in the Third World | Peter Larmour | |
| 3. Political Economy | – Political Economy: A Comparative Approach | Richard N. Cooper |
| – The Political Economy of Development | Barbara Harriss-White | |
| – Political Economy of Governance | Vinay K. Joshi | |
| 4. Public Administration | – Public Administration: Concepts and Theories | Sharma |
| – Public Administration: A Comparative Perspective | Maheshwari | |
| – Principles of Public Administration | Dimock and Dimock | |
| 5. Public Finance | – Public Finance and the American Economy | Harvey S. Rosen |
| – Public Finance: A Contemporary Application of Theory to Policy | David N. Hyman | |
| 6. Administrative Law | – Introduction to Administrative Law | Peter Cane |
| – Administrative Law and Governance | M.P. Jain | |
| 7. Pakistan’s Governance | – Constitutional and Political History of Pakistan | K.K. Aziz |
| – Governance in Pakistan: Challenges and Perspectives | Imtiaz Ahmad | |
| – Pakistan: Political Roots and Development 1947-1999 | Ayesha Jalal | |
| 8. International Organizations | – International Organizations: The Politics and Processes of Global Governance | James P. Muldoon |
| – Global Governance and the United Nations | Hassan M. Karrar | |
| – The United Nations and Global Governance | Kofi Annan | |
| 9. Policy Evaluation | – Policy Analysis: Concepts and Practice | David L. Weimer & Aidan R. Vining |
| – Evaluating Public Policies: Methods and Applications | Carol H. Weiss |
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