GS4 · Topic
Accountability and Ethical Governance
Answerability for a decision, strengthening ethical and moral values in governance, and institutional mechanisms for it.
328 UPSC Mains GS4 questions on Accountability and Ethical Governance that toppers answered in test series, CSE 2013–2025, most answered first. Open one to see how toppers opened, built and closed it.
In light of the recurring issues, there is a constant need to search for better ethical frameworks and models of corporate governance. Discuss with adequate examples and evidence in support of your arguments.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2021
Corporate GovernanceAccountability and Ethical Governance
'Just-in-time' release of funds heralds a significant reform for the Indian government's payment architecture. Discuss.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Utilisation of Public FundsAccountability and Ethical Governance
In the parlance of governance, probity is often used in conjunction with integrity. How do you differentiate between the two? What is their importance in public life? What measures can help promote these values in governance?
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2017–2018
Probity in GovernanceIntegrity
Citizens' Charters by themselves cannot achieve the desired results in improving quality of public services. Discuss the statement in light of the Sevottam Model.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2019–2024
Citizens ChartersQuality of Service Delivery
Digital ethics principles are necessary to prevent erosion of public values and deal with the ethical implications of digitizing governance systems. Discuss.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Technology and EthicsAccountability and Ethical Governance
Bring out the difference between accountability and responsibility. Also, discuss the significance of accountability in ensuring ethical governance in the context of India.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Accountability and Ethical GovernanceCivil Service Values
You are posted as a Superintendent of Police (SP) in a district where people of different religious communities are living together peacefully. The district is also famous for its architectural heritage and is regularly visited by tourists from all around the world. However, there has been an incident in the nearby state where people of two different communities have started fighting over religious issues. This incident has a spillover effect over the whole country. In your own area of jurisdiction, you have come to know from various sources about circulation of some hate speech videos, which have the potential to destabilise the law and order situation. You are also aware that some outsiders with dubious intentions have started pouring in your district. In one locality, a shopkeeper who had earlier filed a complaint regarding threats he received for posting something on the internet, is found murdered in cold blood. This incident has stunned the nation. You are being informed that hundreds of people of the community to which the shopkeeper belonged are planning to stage a massive protest in your district. (a) In the given situation, what are the options available to you to ensure that the law and order situation in the district remains stable. Provide a detailed account of your course of action. (b) Do you think the present legal and institutional mechanisms are sufficient to tackle the menace of hate speech in the society?
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2023
Crisis Decision MakingEthical Dilemmas in Government
Citizen empowerment is a natural outcome of a Citizen’s Charter. Critically evaluate in the Indian context.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2021
Citizens ChartersAccountability and Ethical Governance
The bureaucracy technically has been an efficient form of organisation but is seen to have exceeded its administrative powers due to its tendency towards self aggrandisement, permanence in employment, and nearness to the political executive. Discuss.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2018–2019
Civil Service ValuesWork Culture
Given below are three quotations of great thinkers. What do each of these quotations convey to you in the present context? "Good government...depends...(on) the qualities of the human beings composing the society over which the government is exercised." J.S Mill
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2023–2025
World ThinkersCivil Service Values
You have recently been posted as the District Magistrate of a poor district in India where there is a high prevalence of manual scavenging. It has been brought to your notice that manual scavenging has claimed many lives in your district. Upon further enquiry, you found that most of the manual scavengers belong to a particular caste, and majority of them can find employment only by way of scavenging. Even some government departments in your district are employing these people for physical cleaning of sewers/septic tanks without basic safety gear and measures. Despite the rehabilitation programmes for manual scavengers, the administration has been found inefficient in identifying such people in the first place and the efforts to reskill them for employment elsewhere have not yielded desired results. Based on the given information, answer the following: (a) Identify the issues associated with manual scavenging. (b) List the options available to you in the given case. Evaluate the merits and demerits of each. (c) Discuss some feasible steps that you can take to address this serious problem.
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Empathy and CompassionEthical Dilemmas in Government
What do you understand by social capital? Explain its relationship with good governance.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2019–2024
Accountability and Ethical GovernanceProbity in Governance
Crises, humanitarian or economic, often create the perfect storm for corruption to thrive. Discuss with examples. What measures can be taken to mitigate corruption during a crisis?
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2021–2022
CorruptionCrisis Decision Making
“The forces in a capitalist society, if left unchecked, tend to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.” — Jawaharlal Nehru
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Corporate GovernanceCivil Service Values
In a district, in which you are posted as a District Magistrate, a teacher molests a child in a government run school. As the news of this crime spreads, the parents, relatives and locals gather at the school. The culprit teacher has meanwhile fled. The police arrests the Principal of the school and assure the crowd that the culprit would be arrested soon. The crowd, however, has gone berserk and begins to damage the school building. It wants immediate arrest of the culprit and is not ready to budge until he is arrested. (a) Is it correct to take the Principal into custody when he has personally not committed the crime? Support your answer with appropriate reasons. (b) What options do you have in dealing with the crowd? Enumerate the merits and demerits of each and also suggest the best possible option. (c) In the capacity of District Magistrate what would be your long term plan to prevent molestations and rapes in the schools?
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2016–2018
Crisis Decision MakingEthical Dilemmas in Government
Max Weber's concept of bureaucracy was developed in the early 20th century, but it still influences administrative structures today. In what ways do you see Weberian bureaucracy as relevant in today's rapidly changing world?
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
Civil Service ValuesImpartiality and Objectivity
Where as some argue that leaks constitute an affront to democracy, others are of the opinion that leaks are a part of democracy. Examine the merits of both the arguments in the context of information attributed to leaks from government offices and whistleblowers.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2018–2019
Transparency and InformationProbity in Governance
What do you understand by the term 'probity in governance'? Explain how probity acts as the foundation of ethical public administration.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2017
Probity in GovernanceAccountability and Ethical Governance
The fundamental principle in a democracy is that all public functionaries are trustees of the people and this trusteeship relationship requires that the authority entrusted to the functionaries be exercised in 'public interest'. Discuss.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2021
Probity in GovernanceCivil Service Values
You are the head of a policy think-tank. There is a proposal to cut down more than 10,000 trees to build a residential colony in the capital of the country. The city has one of the highest homeless population in the country and the settlement will be used for them. This news has generated a lot of public debate. While on the one hand is the need to expand urban infrastructure in order to meet the demands of the growing population, on the other, is the environmental concern. In last ten years, the city has lost more than half of its green cover and has seen increased frequency of extreme climatic events. You are asked to deliver a lecture for the policymakers and concerned citizens, in which you have to specifically deal with the following questions: 20 (a) Why do you think such situations arise in the first place where developmental activities and environmental concerns often come out as antithetical to each other? (b) What should be the short-term and long-term solutions for tackling such situations? (c) What are the potential benefits of inculcating environmental concerns in the policy making and planning process?
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2018–2019
Environmental EthicsEthical Dilemmas in Government
Evaluate the role of citizen's charter in making governance citizen centric. Also, recommend some measures to make citizen's charters more effective.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2021–2024
Citizens ChartersQuality of Service Delivery
The failure to deliver on its promises by Citizen's Charters in the last two decades has shown that there are some complex set of factors underlying this seemingly simple task. What are they? Identify and provide their resolution.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2021
Citizens ChartersAccountability and Ethical Governance
/ What do you understand by ethics management? Can public officials manage ethics in the work place in a manner similar to managing budgets, policies and people? Do you think adopting codes of ethics and conduct is sufficient enough for managing ethics in the workplace or something more is needed? Discuss.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2022–2025
Codes of Ethics and ConductWork Culture
"Probity in governance is an essential and vital requirement for an efficient and effective system of governance and for socio-economic development." Discuss the statement with examples.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2025
Probity in GovernanceAccountability and Ethical Governance
Corruption has multifaceted implications. Some consider it an undeniable vice, while others contend it to be an unavoidable necessity for navigating the bureaucratic complexities. In your opinion, does corruption oil or corrode the gears of development? Substantiate your arguments.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2022–2024
CorruptionProbity in Governance
Discuss the ethical implications of maintaining high-quality service delivery in public administration. How does probity in governance influence the efficiency and responsiveness of public services, particularly in addressing the needs of marginalised communities?
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2024–2025
Probity in GovernanceQuality of Service Delivery
Ms. Ananya Rao serves as a District Collector in Maharashtra. The district is embarking on an ambitious infrastructure project, the Rural Connectivity Project, designed to improve road connectivity between remote villages and main towns. This project promises significant benefits, including easier access to markets, healthcare, and education for the rural population. The project, however, is mired in controversy. Environmentalists argue that the construction will cause irreparable damage to local forests and wildlife habitats. Local farming communities are concerned about losing agricultural land due to road expansion. There are also allegations of inadequate compensation and resettlement plans for affected families. As the project progresses, various departments, including the Environment, Agriculture, and Public Works Department (PWD), are involved in the decision-making process. Each department has specific responsibilities. The Environment Department is tasked with assessing environmental impact, the Agriculture Department is responsible for ensuring farmers' rights, and the PWD is responsible for executing construction. Ms. Rao, in her capacity, oversees the coordination among these departments. However, the project faces delays and mounting public criticism due to conflicting priorities and lack of accountability. Environmental assessments are incomplete, farmers' concerns remain unaddressed, and construction deadlines are missed. In a crucial meeting, the Chief Secretary of the State, Mr. Vikram Patel, stressed the urgency of moving the project forward and held Ms. Rao responsible for the delays, lack of progress, and overall non-performance. Ms. Rao walked out of the meeting in frustration and felt it was unfair to be held accountable for the delays because others were also involved in the project. (a) Identify the ethical issues and dilemmas inherent in the above case. (b) What are the options available to Ms. Rao? (c) What kind of action would you suggest for Ms. Rao? Why? (d) Do you think it was fair to hold Ms. Rao accountable for the delays? Why/Why not? In a critical meeting, the state Chief Secretary, Mr. Vikram Patel, emphasized the urgency of advancing the project and held Ms. Rao accountable for the delays, lack of progress, and overall non-performance. Ms. Rao left the meeting disappointed and felt holding her accountable for delay was unfair as there were others also involved in the project. (a) What are the ethical issues and dilemmas involved in the above case? (b) What are the options available to Ms. Rao? (c) What course of action would you suggest for Ms. Rao? Why? (d) Do you think holding Ms. Rao accountable for the delays was justified? Why/Why not?
20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2024
Ethical Dilemmas in GovernmentCrisis Decision Making
Transparency is not just a tool to combat corruption but a fundamental practice that upholds the integrity and legitimacy of public institutions. Examine the above statement with suitable examples.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers
Transparency and InformationProbity in Governance
It is often said that politics and ethics belong to different worlds. What is your opinion in this regard? Justify your answer with illustration. Also, highlight the consequences of divergence between politics and ethics.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2023
Civil Service ValuesEthics in Private and Public Life
Anti-corruption measures need focus on both demand as well as supply side of corruption. Discuss in the light of prevalence of 'collusive corruption' in India.
10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2019–2022
CorruptionProbity in Governance