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Governance in Practice – UPSC GS2

This module of the GS Paper 2: Polity, Governance, Social Justice & IR course covers policy design, e-governance, civil society, shgs and development processes. It has 4 study lessons and a 32-question practice quiz. Free lessons can be read in full; premium lessons show a preview.

Lessons in this module

1. Government Policies and Interventions: Design and Implementation Issues

Free 8 min

GS Paper 2 asks for "Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation". Examiners rarely want a list of schemes. They want you to explain…

2. E-Governance, Transparency, Accountability and Citizen Charters

Premium 7 min

The syllabus covers "important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations and potential; citizens' charters, transparency and accountability, and institutional and other measures". The World Bank and the UNDP describe good…

3. Pressure Groups, NGOs and Civil Society in Governance

Premium 7 min

Civil society is the space between the family, the market and the state, where citizens associate voluntarily to pursue shared interests. It includes NGOs, community-based organisations, trade unions, professional associations, faith groups, social movements, media…

4. Self-Help Groups, Development Processes and the Role of Civil Services

Premium 7 min

The syllabus asks about "development processes and the development industry: the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders". The development industry is the network of actors involved in…

 Module quiz: Governance in Practice (32 questions)

Maps & infographics in this module

Six-stage cycle diagram of public policy from agenda setting to feedback
Evaluation results should feed back into redesign, a step often skipped in practice.
Six cards listing causes of poor scheme performance with remedies
Design and implementation problems often reinforce each other.
Timeline of e-governance milestones in India from NIC in 1976 to the DPDP Act in 2023
India moved from computerisation to integrated digital public infrastructure.
Organogram of the four e-governance models with Indian examples under each
Each model serves a different set of users.
Flowchart of the Sevottam service delivery model
Sevottam links promises to the capacity to deliver them.
Organogram classifying pressure groups into institutional, associational, non-associational and anomic types with Indian examples
Associational groups are the most organised and visible in India.

Frequently asked questions

Lessons: Government Policies and Interventions: Design and Implementation Issues; E-Governance, Transparency, Accountability and Citizen Charters; Pressure Groups, NGOs and Civil Society in Governance; Self-Help Groups, Development Processes and the Role of Civil Services.

Answer: 60:40. 90:10 for NE and Himalayan states.

Answer: DMEO. Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office.

Answer: eligible people being left out. Inclusion error is the non-needy getting benefits.

Answer: gram sabhas with independent social audit units. Mandated under MGNREGA.

Related modules

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State Government2 lessons
Local Government3 lessons
Constitutional Bodies and Elections4 lessons
Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-judicial Bodies3 lessons
Amendments and Basic Structure2 lessons
Governance2 lessons
Social Justice2 lessons
Welfare of Vulnerable Sections3 lessons
Health, Education and Hunger3 lessons
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India and its Neighbourhood5 lessons
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