Public Administration CSS Syllabus 2025 PDF
When you are dealing with CSS optional subjects, Public Administration is a great scoring subject. It gives 80+ score if you are master at it. It’s recently seen that business administration scores higher than public administration, still many CSS aspirants score well in PA.
CSS Exam 2025 was taken and now you have to prepare for CSS 2026. Make sure to select the right optional subjects so you can score good marks and get allocated in best CSS group.
Here you can read public administration CSS syllabus 2025 or download it in PDF as well.
Public Administration CSS Syllabus 2025 (FPSC)
Subject Code: 408
Total Marks: 100
Exam Type: Written (Subjective)
Pro Tip: Check DMCs of aspirants who scored well in Public Administration and follow their notes as well.
I. Public Administration: Concepts, Approaches, and Context
- Nature, scope, and significance of Public Administration
- Role of Public Administration in modern welfare states
- Approaches to the study of Public Administration:
- Classical
- Behavioral
- Systems
- Structural-functional
- Postmodern
- Comparative Public Administration
- New Public Management
- Governance and Good Governance
II. Bureaucracy
- Nature, types, and roles of bureaucracy
- Max Weber’s theory of bureaucracy
- Bureaucracy in Pakistan: structure and reforms
- Civil service systems: concept and characteristics
III. Organization Theories and Management
- Scientific Management Theory (Taylor)
- Human Relations Theory (Elton Mayo)
- Decision-making Theory (Herbert Simon)
- Bureaucratic Theory (Weber)
- Systems Theory
- Contingency Theory
- Organizational Behavior and Change
IV. Administrative Law
- Meaning, scope, and significance
- Delegated legislation
- Administrative Tribunals
- Judicial control of administration
- Administrative ethics and accountability
V. Planning and Decision-Making
- Types of planning
- Planning machinery in Pakistan
- Decision-making models
- Role of planning in development administration
VI. Financial Administration
- Budgeting: types, process, and reforms
- Performance budgeting
- Auditing and accounting
- Financial control and legislative oversight
- Public procurement and transparency
VII. Human Resource Management and Public Personnel Administration
- Recruitment, training, promotion, and performance appraisal
- Civil service reforms in Pakistan
- HRM vs. personnel administration
- Role of Public Service Commissions
VIII. Public Policy
- Policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation
- The policy cycle
- Stakeholders in policy-making
- Institutional frameworks and policy outcomes
IX. Administrative Culture and Accountability
- Ethical considerations in public administration
- Role of media, civil society, and judiciary
- E-Governance and Right to Information
- Anti-corruption mechanisms
X. Public Administration in Pakistan
- Challenges and future of public service delivery in Pakistan
- Historical context
- Federal, provincial, and local government structures
- Reforms in public administration
Recommended Books for CSS Public Administration
| Sr. No | Book Title | Author(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Public Administration | Dr. Sultan Khan | Most popular local book, covers syllabus comprehensively |
| 2 | Introduction to Public Administration | M. Ishaq Bhatti | Good for Pakistani context and historical development |
| 3 | Public Administration: Understanding Management, Politics, and Law | Rosenbloom, D. H. | High-level international book, good for conceptual understanding |
| 4 | Essentials of Public Administration | Luciana J. Coleman | Covers theories and HRM very well |
| 5 | New Public Administration | H. George Frederickson | Important for understanding modern approaches |
| 6 | Administrative Thinkers | D. Ravindra Prasad et al. | Great for theory-based questions and thinkers |
| 7 | Public Policy: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Policy Analysis | Wayne Parsons | Excellent for policy formulation and implementation |
| 8 | Public Personnel Administration | O. Glenn Stahl | Focus on HR and personnel management |
| 9 | Pakistan’s Civil Services: Crisis in Governance | Ishrat Husain | A must-read for Pakistan-specific reforms and governance challenges |
| 10 | Local Government in Pakistan | Mushtaq Ahmad Jan | Useful for the local government section |