Abstract

A need for development is the defining order of the day where in the monograph brings to the fore the various and myriad facets of Public Administration in India and how with the changing tides, the discipline of Public Policy has undergone a transformation. The monograph zeroes in upon the emerging trends in Public Administration ranging from Digitalisation and cyber warfare to New Public Management, Criminal Justice reform and Orange Economy in the larger context of a nation on the move. The monograph argues that the ever present and fast augmenting challenges of poverty, and population rise, have vastly transformed the discipline of Public Policy inviting redressal on the part of the Government of the day.

Introduction

Public Administration is a fathomless and limitless discipline which constitutes the fundamental human need to reorganize and analyse Governance, as, it grows and spawns through the process of Public Policy in order  to live better and have a high happiness quotient.  Public Administration serves as an ideal conduit and a receptacle academic discipline, dabbling with the work and functioning of the Government / Regime of the day along with the instrumentality for the myriad ministries and Government agencies in consonance with the spheres of their expertise and erudition. Let‘s delve inside how the twin tenets of Public Administration and Public Policy are interrelated.

Theoretical Aspects and the History of the Discipline

Since the times of the age of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro and the vast historical stretches of anthropological evidence, Governing people and their Institutes at their head-set has been the primary concern of the academics and the mandarins in the sphere of Public Administration. Also, in the Greek and the Roman context, the myriad governing apparatuses can be cited as bearing the origins and the spawning of the tenet of Governance and administration. In the Greek city and the Italian city states, too the human habitation bore the granaries and the treasury in the centre of the Polis,while the guards and the army camped in a circle surrounding the city state to defend the hoi polloi inside the city state‘s habitation quarters.

History of Public Administration

Public administration has ancient origins. In antiquity the Egyptians and Greeks organized public affairs by office, and the principal officeholders were regarded as being principally responsible for administering justice, maintaining law and order, and providing plenty. The Romans developed a more sophisticated system under their empire, creating distinct administrative hierarchies for justice, military affairs, finance and taxation, foreign affairs, and internal affairs, each with its own principal officers of state.1 An elaborate administrative structure, later imitated by the Roman Catholic Church, covered the entire empire, with a hierarchy of officers reporting back through their superiors to the emperor. This sophisticated structure disappeared after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, but many of its practices continued in the Byzantine Empire in the east, where civil service rule was reflected in the pejorative use of the word Byzantinism.

Early European administrative structures developed from the royal households of the medieval period. Until the end of the 12th century official duties within the royal households were ill-defined, frequently with multiple holders of the same post. Exceptions were the better-defined positions of butler (responsible for the provision of wine), steward (responsible for feasting arrangements), chamberlain (often charged with receiving and paying out money kept in the royal sleeping chamber), and chancellor (usually a priest with responsibilities for writing and applying the seal in the monarch‘s2 name). With the 13th century a separation began between the purely domestic functions of the royal household and the functions connected with governing the state. The older household posts tended to disappear, become sinecures, or decline in importance. The office of chancellor, which had always been concerned with matters of state, survived to become the most important link between the old court offices and modern ministries, and the development of the modern treasury or finance ministry can be traced back to the chamberlain‘s office in the royal household.3

It can be securely contended upon the theme of Public Administration, which refers to the act of governing, ruling, regulating and managing a mélange of balance between the legislature, executive and Judiciary in perfect sync with each other.4 The idiom is that the standard and stereotypical Political System model, as, propounded by the political scientist, David Easton,5 talks about a larger and contextualized Governance loop, where-in, the theme of inputs and the policy making schemes and initiatives of the Regime of the day, are, placed inside a black box. They resonate with the shortcomings of administration, where-in, after the interaction with the audience, the outcomes and policy consequences along with the public opinion, emerge out as outcomes. These outcomes are once again transported to the black box through the Inputs/ policy making functionality.6

Going by an academic and stereotypical definition of the theme, Public policy refers to the decisions and actions taken by the government that directly or indirectly impact the public. In India, public policy is heavily influenced by international law, democratic principles, and social justice. Policies are designed to address societal issues, providing solutions to improve current and future conditions, either for small populations or on a larger scale. 7 Thus, apart from the simpleton and directly cohesive practice of governance, the myriad changes in the political, societal, technological, economic and cultural realms, take a telling toll on the efficiency of the Government of the day, its policy planners and policy execution.

The nomenclature of Public Policy and Public Administration are intertwined with each other but there still lies a subtle difference. Public policy is the framework of laws, regulations, and actions governments implement to achieve social and economic goals. It‘s a statement of the government‘s intent and commitment to address a particular issue or problem.8 Public policy shapes the decisions of government officials and agencies, and it affects society, the economy, and politics.

The discipline and the field of study encompasses several intertwined themes of the order of economic, social welfare, education, healthcare, and environmental policies. Political ideologies, societal values, and economic conditions influence public policy, vital in shaping a country‘s future. Public policy aims to usher in societies and addressing societal economic challenges. In the context of political studies, it is an avowed essentiality to comprehend public policy‘s meaning, public policy definition evolution, and significance.9

As referred to in the tome, The Study of Administration, as a founding father of the discipline, Woodrow Wilson, the father of modern administrative science, points out,  Before entering on that study, however, it is needful: To take some account of what others have done in the same line; that is to say, of the history of the study .10 Leonard White once noted, Scholars on Public Administration must focus on the history of the study. Only having a good knowledge of historical background can they truly evaluate current environment and problems.11 Daniel Wren also put forward similar ideas, Managers can draw many lessons from history, one important thing of which is to proceed from studying the history to further research on management . These three academic gurus are all emphasizing the significance of studying the history of Public Administration, the basis and starting point for the study of Public Administration. In this regard, we can only accurately understand the basic concepts, propositions, and significances of Public Administration and clarify its development course through an understanding of its history, thus opening up new directions of study.12

Apart from the comprehension about classical and traditional Public Administration, Public Policy is an planning exercise with forecasting and gaming for the nation‘s future and is the  what component of nationhood‘s deliverance through an authoritative allocation of goods. While Public Administration is all about the How question of the Governance‘s narrative, where-in, the execution and the implementation of the policies, programmes and attendant schemes are the considered components. It‘s here in the vortex of this subtle difference that the entire narrative of development, progression and the nation‘s growth story have to charted out. As the nation marches ahead with the call of New India, the all pervasive ambit of Public Administration occupies a drivers seat with the uncomfortable truths of the Emerging trends in the discipline of Public Administration and Public Policy. Its these slew of transformations and sea changes which will mark the future of the discipline in the larger nation.

More About the Theoretical aspects of Public Administration

The term  Administration‘ has been derived from the Latin word ad‘and ministare‘ which means  to serve‘. In simple words it means care for‘ or to look after‘ people, to manage affairs‘. Administration may be defined as a group activity aka collectivity which involves cooperation and coordination for the purpose of achieving desired goals or objectives. Any cooperative human effort towards achieving some common goals is also known as administration. Thus every group activity involves some kind of administration whether it is in a family, factory, hospital, company, university or in a government department. Thus, Administration permeates all organised human activities. Definitions of Administration Pfiffner and Presthus define administration as, organization and direction of human and material resources to achieve desired ends. 

According to L D White, Administration is  the direction, coordination and control of many persons to achieve some purpose or objective.13 Herbert a Simon said  in its broadest sense, administration can be defined as the activities of groups cooperating to accomplish common goals.14 E.N.Gladden defined  Administration is a long and slightly pompous word, but it has a humble meaning, for it means to care for or look after people, to manage affairs is determined action taken in pursuit of conscious purpose. According to Brooks Adams Administration is the capacity of coordinating many, and often conflicting , social energies in a single organism, so adroitly that they shall operate as a unity. Felix A Nigro defined  Administration is the organisation and use of men and materials to accomplish a purpose.15

All in all, Public Administration refers to the theme that comparisons between the myriad facets of its processes and methods makes one delve inside the constructs which are prevalent in India, US, Latin America, Europe and South East Asia. Comparative public administration is the study of administrative institutions, processes and behaviours across organisations, national and cultural boundaries. It is the study of public administration on a comparative basis and it is specially concerned with making rigorous cross-cultural comparisons of the structures and processes involved in the activity of administering public affairs.

Myriad Schools of Thought in Public Administration

The legendary American President, Woodrow Wilson, is regarded as the trailblazing icon of the discipline of Public Administration. The art of Government as propounded by the iconic work of President Woodrow Wilson still remains as the lifeblood of the hallowed discipline with ramifications and impact over the rest of the Social Sciences too. In a campaign event at Madison Square Garden in 1912, future President Woodrow Wilson said something that could be considered a mission statement for his life‘s work:  There is no cause half so sacred as the cause of a people. There is no idea so uplifting as the idea of the service of humanity. 16 He is also fondly remembered as the quintessential father of Public Administration in more ways than one specially when we delve inside the details of the discipline of Public Administration with its cornucopia of myriad theoretical schools of Public Administration.

These schools offer different perspectives on how to manage organizations and achieve public goals, focusing on efficiency, human factors, decision-making, and organizational dynamics.

Here's a breakdown of the major schools:

1. Classical School:

• This school, also known as the Scientific Management school, emphasizes efficiency and productivity through scientific methods and standardization.

• Key figures include Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol.

• Focuses on optimizing workflows, division of labor, and hierarchical structures.

• Classical theory is often associated with bureaucracy, as exemplified by Max Weber's model. 17

2. Human Relations School:

• This school emerged as a critique of the Classical school, highlighting the importance of human factors in organizations.

• Key figures include Elton Mayo and Mary Parker Follett.

• Focuses on informal relationships, employee motivation, and the social environment within organizations.

• Emphasizes the need for leadership that considers the psychological and social needs of individuals.18

3. Behavioral School:

• This school builds on the Human Relations school, delving deeper into individual and group behavior within organizations.

• Focuses on understanding motivation, decision-making processes, and organizational culture.19

• Key figures include Herbert Simon, Rensis Likert, Chris Argyris, and Douglas McGregor.

• Explores topics like participative management, organizational learning, and the impact of leadership styles.

4. Systems School:

• This school views organizations as open systems that interact with their external environment.

• Focuses on understanding the complex relationships between different parts of an organization and its environment.

• Emphasizes the importance of feedback, adaptation, and the interconnectedness of various elements within the system.

• Viewsorganizations as dynamicentities constantlyinteracting with their surroundings.

Other Important Perspectives:

New Public Management:

This perspective emphasizes business-like practices, performance measurement, and market-oriented approaches in public administration.

Postmodern Theory:

This perspective challenges traditional approaches, focusing on the role of language, power, and discourse in shaping public administration. 20

Contingency Theory:

This theory suggests that there is no single best way to manage, and the most effective approach depends on the specific situation and context.

Decision Theory:

This school focuses on the process of decision-making within organizations, exploring how choices are made and how to improve decision-making effectiveness.

Mathematical School:

This school uses mathematical and statistical models to analyse and solve management problems.

In summary, these schools of thought offer a range of perspectives on how to manage public organizations effectively. By understanding these different approaches, public administrators can develop a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities they face.

Comparative Public Administration

Basically, there are three levels of analysis in comparative public administration and these are:

a. Macro Level Studies: macro level analysis focuses on the comparisons of the whole administrative systems in their proper ecological contexts. For instance, a macro study would involve a comparison of the administrative system of India and Great Britain or Nigeria and Senegal. It will comprise a detailed analysis of all important aspects and parts of the administrative system of the two nations. Though, the studies of macro level analysis are rare, they are not impossible to be taken up. Generally, the relationship between an administrative system and its external environment is highlighted in the macro level studies or analysis.

b. The Middle-Range Level of Studies: a middle-range level of analysis is on certain important parts of an administrative system that are sufficiently large in size and scope of functioning. For instance, a comparison of the structure of higher bureaucracy of two or more nations, comparison of agricultural administration in two or more countries or a comparison of local governments in different countries are examples of middle range level studies or analysis. Also, the Nigerian local government system can compare to that of Britain, under a middle range level of studies.

c. Micro Level of Studies: the micro level of analysis relates to comparisons of an individual organisation with its counterparts in other settings. A micro level study might relate to an analysis of a small part of an administrative system, such as the recruitment or training system in two or more administrative organisation. Micro level studies are more feasible to be undertaken and a large number of such micro level studies have been conducted by scholars of Public administration, and in contemporary comparative public administration.

The following factors contributed to the development of comparative public administration:

(i) The emergence of free nations after the world wars and efforts by these nations to achieve rapid socio-economic development, created new problems before public administration which led to scientific investigation and empirical studies in the field of public administration.

Harking back to the modicum of comparative Public Administration, Comparative public administration (CPA) is directed at the study of administrative phenomena focusing on organization (bureaucracy), personnel (public employees, administrative elites), and the relations between administrative actors/processes and political decision makers (making).21 The comparative approach encompasses cross-sectional (e.g., cross-country and cross-policy) as well as cross-time (longitudinal) analyses. In its historical development CPA research unfolded in the United States after 1945 in focusing on developing countries. Since the 1970s CPA research has largely turned on  developed  industrial countries in increasingly dealing with European (particularly EU member) as well as other Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD) countries. With regard to subject matter, the study of organization and personnel, as well as the relations between administrative actors and political decision makers, have loomed large.22 As occurred in the wake of the marketization and privatization of public functions prompted by New Public Management, the distinction between public and private has blurred the  radar  of CPA researchers and has accordingly widened. The growth of CPA research has been reflected in and promoted by the proliferation of CPA-related national and international professional and academic associations, networks, journals, publications (handbooks, textbooks, etc), and databases. While the appropriate (purposive) selection of countries and cases is of key importance in the conduct of valid comparative research, it often proves impossible to apply methodologically rigorous ( quasi- experimental ) comparative logic, so that most research has settled for methodologically softer selection strategies. While in the past qualitative (case-study based) research has prevailed, recently quantitative-statistical analyses have advanced. In sum, the state of art in CPA research offers a mixed balance.

On the one hand, there seems so far to be no generally accepted single theory or methodological approach in the pursuit of CPA research. On the other hand, the large (and still growing) body of CPA research findings (and the steady accumulation of research experience and sophistication in the research community) hold the promise of further advances, including theory-building.23

How Public Policy and Public Administration are in Unison

Public policy refers to the process of making organizational decisions and political, management, financial, and administrative policies to meet established goals. Public administration is the study and use of government policy including both government and non- governmental management.24 These two different fields of study are inextricably linked and have converged over time. Graduate students usually will choose among a variety of degree concentrations in the field of public policy and administration such as criminal justice, community development, economic development, education, environmental policy, finance, information technology, non-profit management, public health and health care, transportation, or urban management.25

As the threesome facets of Globalization, convergence and transnationalism become the ordering principle of the day, the challenges being posed to the discipline of Public administration apparatus in India and the steel framework of the bureaucracy in the nation, are, immense and wide ranging in their nature and expanse. With the new challenges of the order of poverty, rising unmanaged population, economic imbalances due to factors such as oil trade and strategic factors and military conflicts impacting trade and investments, there is an awful lot of concern on the platter of the Indian mandarins with the need to adapt and mitigate a perennial Damocles sword over their tired and amply tested necks and white collars.

Emerging Trends in Public Administration:

Different trends continent-wise (USA, Europe, East Asia, Oceania). The American Percept

Modernisation, Globalization, convergence are the by words and form the academic bylines when it comes to delving inside the Global and continent specific emerging trends all across the Global governance firmament. As far as the American context is concerned, President Woodrow Wilson spawned the dictum of NPM, that is, New Product Management which laid stress on the modern tenets of transparency, accountability and efficient redressal and deft administrative functioning in a manner unknown to the West during that time furlough.

John Riggs contends that,  Developing nations and their leaders claim that if they followed the Pax Americana in the realm of Public Administration practices, example, they could create a successful democracy. The striking success of the United States as a wealthy industrialized nation and as an exemplar for democratic government easily accounts for the uncritical admiration of foreign observers. Moreover, the ambitious leaders of revolutionary or reform movements in new states are also attracted to the American model because it legitimizes their personal aspirations, especially if they think they can be elected to the presidency. American advisers often contribute to this illusion by promoting the export of familiar practices they view as widely applicable. Impressionable leaders in client states tend to accept the advice offered by American advisers, especially when it is accompanied by a variety of attractive fringe benefits. 26 Thus, a realisation by the observers and the academics alike is that there happens to be an internalisation of the Public Administration and trends in the name of modernisation and enhancement of the practice of governance. As an attendant fact, one may contend that taking recourse to the theme of development the manner in which the epochal male protagonist, Howard Roark in the novel, The Fountainhead rises up the construction lift of a modernist building site with the silhouette of the a fading sun being the foci of the climactic text of the Fountainhead.

It is further advanced that  Moreover, American advisers are pleased when people in other countries seek their advice and, since they typically lack the historical and comparative perspective needed to understand the essential uniqueness and irrelevance of public administration in America to the problems faced by other countries, it is understandable that they often promote the transfer of familiar bureaucratic structures based on the American experience. 27 The bureaucracy in US is not top heavy but is often riled by the political leadership and political class of the day. Political polarisation rules the root in the US homeland where in it leads to an all pervasive larger voter turnout. Also as an attendant fact, the manner in which the American pattern of Public Administration thought has been assidouosly replicated in other contexts all across the global polity is an aspect which renders the entire blueprint of Public Administration largely infused with the Ameriocan star spangled spirit.

John Riggs further argued that, In all democracies, political control over the bureaucracy centers on an elected assembly and a responsible head of government. However, the fusion of powers in a parliamentarist regime enables it to manage a more powerful bureaucracy than any presidentialist (separation-of- powers) system. This is simply because the unity of authority principle, inherent in any Cabinet (parliamentarist) system of government, permits more effective control over a bureaucracy than does the separation-of- powers (presidentialist) principle. From the bureaucratic perspective, disunity at the top often confuses and frustrates officials, undermining their morale and ability to coordinate their work. This is scarcely a new idea. Nevertheless, the deeper implications of this structure were not appreciated. 28 Thus, the Pax Americana syndrome works for the American nation and its populace where the stress in the sphere of Public Administration happens to be on the cogently and historically calibrated and practiced Federating structure of US.

Public Administration in Europe

Being the receptacle and the more than symbolic icon of modernization and tangible enhancement, it is an inveterate fact that Europe has always been looked up to as a initiator and precursor element in the larger tedium of Public Administration theories and practice. It can be argued that,  Public administrations at central, regional, and local level play a key role in fulfilling EU objectives, helping to translate them into relevant domestic policies. They implement directly one third of the EU budget and are the interface between the EU and its citizens. As context for good governance in the EU-27, the European Commission has identified five key challenges: the unprecedented speed of technological change affecting every function of public administrations‘ work; the impact of demographic changes, with some Member States seeing up to 30 % of the workforce retire in the next 10-15 years;29 the increasing complexity of policy issues and prevalence of super-wicked problems (i.e. complex and multi-dimensional); the importance of the green transition and the new skills required for Europe to become the world‘s first climate-neutral continent; and increasing competition for limited public funds. In line with these challenges, the Commission‘s Technical Support Instrument (TSI) supports Member States with the design and implementation of their reform agendas on public administration and other policy areas. Government effectiveness is found to be strongly correlated with integrity and control of corruption and positively correlated with citizens‘ quality of life. Trends show that government effectiveness has declined slightly on average across the EU-27 in recent years.

An EU report contends that,  At the same time, 48% of Europeans find public administration to be still complex and burdensome. Public trust in government at different levels and in public administration have also weakened at the aggregate level. More specifically, the tendency to trust national government fell in 19 Member States over the period 2020-21, and in 17 Member States over the subsequent period 2021-22 (it increased in 10 Member States over the latter period also). 30 Thus, one can tentatively argue that in the European context the facet of a want of faith in the Regime of the day crops up poignantly.

The Report further contends that,  The tendency to trust regional and local authorities has been consistently higher on average than trust in national government historically. This points to the importance of subsidiarity: citizens having access to institutions that are close to them and with which they interact directly. 31 Though the European context of Public Administration has been advanced and well modernised still the regional and the communitarian and localized millueu is still what the Doctor ordered. Here in, the idiom of grassroots management and functionality is what even the Urbanised and metropole oriented European nations also adhere to.

Public Administration in Oceania

Haq notes that,  In Southeast Asia, it is possible to discern three distinct models of public administration at various stages of its evolution, including the colonial-bureaucratic, the postcolonial-developmental, and the current  new public management  models. These models originated mostly in western nations, and were subsequently borrowed by (or imposed on) various countries in the region. 32 Thus, it can be observed that model making in Public Administration has been a Oceanic concern which is very much originated from the western loop of Public Administration but has been deftly utilised by the thinkers and practioners alike. It can be further argued keeping model making in the context that Effective decision-making is crucial in public administration, as it directly impacts the quality and effectiveness of governance. Various decision-making models have been developed to guide administrators in making informed, rational, and timely decisions. This article explores different decision-making models, their applications, and the factors influencing their choice in public administration. 33

The Public Policy scholar further contends that,  However, there were considerable gaps between these ideal-type administrative models and the actual administrative practices in Southeast Asia. There also emerged major variations among countries in the region in terms of the extent to which they conform to the original models due to their differences in colonial backgrounds and national contexts. These issues and concerns are critically examined in this article. It concludes by making some critical assessment of the major trends of public administration in the region. 34

These shifts have generated new arrangements involving state and non-state actors, including alternative contracting models, co-production systems, and governance networks. While such arrangements have sometimes weakened the role of the state, in other contexts they have fostered deeper local embeddedness and more flexible, relational approaches to service delivery. Focusing on street-level dynamics, this issue explores how new forms of accountability, organisational structures, and actor relationships are redefining frontline implementation. 35

The author further suggests that,  Drawing on eight case studies from Australia, Brazil, Israel, the Philippines, Switzerland, and Mexico, the contributions analyse diverse governance arrangements and their impact on policy delivery in varied institutional and administrative settings. The issue highlights five key relational dynamics: (1) between state and non-state actors; (2) between street-level organisations and communities; (3) between frontline actors and higher-level agencies; (4) between bureaucrats and political actors; and across sectors, through partnerships. Together, the articles show how contemporary implementation is shaped by local context, organisational form, and social relations, offering new insights into how street-level actors navigate complex governance environments in the delivery of public services. 36 Thus, the novae paradigm in the region and largely Australia happens to be that of public service delivery. Themes of the order of interface between the Politicians and Bureaucrats along with the stress on a participative and communitarian approach emerges as the new approach in the context of Oceania in the larger perspective and Australia in the specificity of the concern.

How do we arrive at the rationale behind the Emerging trends in the discipline coming to the fore and leaving a lasting and transformative impact upon the larger theme, nature and rationale of Public Administration? The transformational impact of the Emerging trends cannot be denied which have brought in change in the Classical and traditional understanding of Public Administration the world over. As the times change, and the denouement of the times comes nearer, the Regime of the day in different nations have to change and transform with the aid of  techne  and model replication of the good practices in other locations and scenarios akin to the city state models of the order of Singapore. Thus, the new and largely untried Immersive technologies along with the rising feedback based orientations of the receptacle and receiving citizens become the order of the day.

As India makes strides towards our quintessential objective of Viksit Bharat, i.e., a developed and self-reliant nation by 2047 and digitalization stands as a key foundation to it.37 The true promise of Viksit Bharat, as, well as Digital India, lies not only in the digitalization and technological expansion, rather it rests on its transformative potential to empower our citizens and strengthen our country‘s economy, in, order to be able to compete in the world‘s political and strategic ecosystem of today. Gone are the staid classroom concerns of the yore, as, in the practicality and the outcome oriented field experience, becomes the change agent both for the theoretical sustenance of Public Administration, as, well as the methodological and field finesse, which begets the larger concern of betterment and enhancement .

We are not directly jumping on to the notion and the practice of DPI. The advent of all around and all pervasive convergence and the networking of people, nations and Institutions makes it a pertinent necessity to go ahead with a digital unison of the larger ecosystem of nations and citizens. In the context of the imagined communities, the entire hoi polloi of the country vibrates with the swansong of a techne-unison which necessitates a gainful deliberation and rumination over the omniscient undercurrent of the techne in development and Bharat‘s progression as a great power. The emergence of India‘s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)38 has initiated an era of e-governance, with the citizens gaining online access to a wide range of government services. DPI might have become too trite a concern and a au currant narrative but its bound to subsist as an able facilitator to the Indian and Public Policy‘s growth story in the national and global firmament.

DPI aims to empower citizens to participate in the digital economy, regardless of location or socioeconomic background. These initiatives have been instrumental in boosting productivity, improving efficiency and generating employment opportunities for all. India‘s digital infrastructure has proven to be significantly valuable in fostering global connectivity, financial inclusion, and innovation, having a transformative power to revolutionize various sectors of the Indian economy like education, healthcare, agriculture, etc. Strivings towards human resource development such as e-learning can pave the way for a more equitable and accessible future.

However, this dream of a promising future is not free from hurdles and obfuscations. There are numerous flies in the ointment that India needs to address before we can call ourselves fully developed. Digital technology does not exist in vacuum and cannot be measured merely through bland and  techne dehumanised datapoints, but brings to the fore, a requirement to grapple with the structural inequity which is inextricably interwoven within our society. Its only then that one can realise our country‘s actual potential and our capacity. Difficulties of the order of the digital divide still rile us, so ensuring equitable access to technology and internet connectivity is a key to seamless governance and a healthy upkeep of Public Administration practices.

Thus, to realize the full potential of India as a pathway to Viksit Bharat, our approach must be people-centric, inclusive and needs to be effectively and critically reflective. Apart from the AI challenges and machine learning pitfalls, the new conceptualising over the tenet of Creative Economy  too emerges as a rising instrument of change in the realm of Public Policy and public administration‘s Weberian notions of the years gone past.

Emerging Trend Novae One: Orange Economy Et Al

The transformative impact of the larger theme of neophyte and emerging trends in Public Administration has led to the broad basing and  an ushering in  of changes in the nature, content of the discipline. Themes premised upon,  techne  along with a stress on indigenous Knowledge systems along with a harking back to grassroots and localised contexts has made a study and mention of entities of the order of AI, criminal Justice and PPP as iconic change instruments.

It can be safely and assuredly argued that the manner in which the new and critical technologies are the  techne  of future Governance, new Orange aka Creative Economy is the order of the day as far as the rookie imaginings of the discipline of Public Administration go and persist. The manner in which the M and E ( Media and Entertainment) complex has crossed the mark of 42 billion in a few years as the quantum of the output, is an appreciable benchmark of how the Media apparatus, (including the Print and Electronic Media and Cinema) is an all pervasive and omniscient presence in the lives of millions in the nation and the larger international system, is a matter to be reckoned with.39 How it can come into its own bears testimony to the larger reality which is much more than the initial simulacra40 impact and influence on the growth and progression matrices of the nation.

It was South Korea which heralded the idiom of Creative economy where balanced labour and technical processes were initiated in Seoul, in, order to give a fillip to the crassly capitalist strain of economy in South Korea.41

The United Nations portal informs us about the heady rise and progression of Creative Economy the world over. The manner in which the Un places it forth in the much hackneyed good governance‘s narrative can be delved inside with some detail and academic insight. The UN portal contends that,  The creative economy, also known as the orange economy, is an evolving concept based on the contribution and potential of creative assets to contribute to economic growth and development. It embraces economic, cultural and social aspects interacting with technology, intellectual property and tourism objectives: it is a set of knowledge-based, and thus more localized, economic activities with a development dimension and cross-cutting linkages at macro and micro levels to the overall economy.42 The UN portal further informs us that, There is not a single definition of creative economy, and the different definitions usually overlap. A common characteristic is that the creative economy has a multitude of dimensions, making contributions to economic, social, cultural development and has a potential for contributing to achieving the sustainable development goals.43 Its one again part of the theme of a Global regime of development and  sustainability where in the myriad nations, nonstate actors, INGO‘s and International Institutions play a key role as far as the   Playing for Keeps  for the world and more pinpointedly and singularly as far as the grandiose but practicable theme of Viksit Bharat  is concerned.

More About the Orange Economy

In terms of industries, there remains no limit to what the orange economy would include in the same manner as the potential of intellectual property itself cannot be limited. Put another way, arts and culture added 877 billion USD to the US GDP in 2020.44

Walt Disney, with a turn over of 88 billion USD for the fiscal year, 2023, Walt Disney45 is the true blue representative of the global orange economy and the keenest example of ably utilising intellectual property and related themes. Monetising creative content is the clarion call of the day where in the corporate inclination takes over but not without capturing the imagination of millions of the receptacle audience, the world over. 46

Iconic characters. Super heroes not exist in the present context but in some distant realm of a parallel universe or lets day multiverse, the superheroes might be populating the earth and its political societal and economic existence. The Disney Princesses, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar all have one thing in common across their very separate fictional worlds–Disney. Such instances, require no references and substantiation, as they highlight the power of character portrayal and storytelling with a purpose, and what it means to usher in next door symbols of purity, virtue and probity with moral and extraordinary courage.47

Unforgettable films. The Lion King, Aladdin, Cinderella, Frozen, Moana, and Toy Story. All highly successful, all catering to the same target audience of young adults with effective writing and development. Toy Story 4, for example, earned over 1 billion USD worldwide.48

Global creative corporates such as Disneyland and Walt Disney World in an immersive manner attract all the national and international actors in a virtual reality world. Themes parks cash in on an important component of the orange economy–merchandising.

Through a plethora of merchandise paraphernalia of the order of attractive toys, trendy and avant garde clothing, amicable accessories, aware and yearning dreamers amongst the customers can conveniently relate with the characters they have learned to love and live with.49 Still, the theme of State surveillance becomes the order of the day where the questions of the Government which Governs the least is the best Regime can be pondered upon here apart from the parallel and emerging trends in Public Administration. A critique might refer to the theme of the Panopticon where in the construct of State control and monitoring forms the core corpuscle of the entirety of the research exercise in Public Administration.

The Saga of State Surveillance

George Orwell in his literary construct, 1984 50envisages a world, where-in, every move, the indoor domesticity, lifestyles and live moments of the denizens are being monitored under the rubric of societal goods. In the modern world today, identity and identifications have gained prominence more than ever and is central to our social, legal and digital lives. The quintessential Identity plays a significant role and is a necessity for access, security as well as verification in the everyday lives of millions of citizens of the land and the nation at large. Modernization in the Government processes has shifted the modes and methods of identification, from being something you know (like a password) or something you have (like an identification card) to something you are, i.e., your biometric identity.

Moreover, these methodologies of biometric identification, are cannily and conveniently considered to be the physical attributes of an individual such as a harmless fingerprint, a rote face structure, iris pattern or the complete DNA construct of the individual. This bodes for both noble and vile fallouts for both the individual and the state.

It is a more efficient and effective way of identification and while the earlier methods are prone to loss, misuse or forgery, biometric identification can bypass these as it depends on intrinsic human characteristics which are immutable and unique. Hence, identity becomes something inseparable from the individual, offering a method of identification that is inherently more trustworthy and better aligns with 21st-century demands. It benefits both individuals as well as the state. So much the so for George Orwell’ s classic, 1984 which has more than a mere mentionable reference in the turbulence of the present times!

At an individual level, it eliminates the risks of frauds and scam, saving people from losing money or other important valuables. At the same time, it is also a more efficient and easier way of proving oneself as it saves people from the hassle of presenting an identity proof like ID cards or passwords.51 For the states, biometric identification paves more effective and efficient ways of law and order maintenance and so that a larger bonhomie and patternisation  creeps into the country‘s day to day sustenance as a routinised ritual.

In the sphere of citizenship‘s concerns, one can mention the functionality of the Biometrics and the Aadhar card. In the realm of citizenship, today national identity cards make use of biometric identification systems, like the Aadhar card that promote biological citizenship. The need of national identification adds a worth to the citizen‘s persona and existence and also facilitates a monitoring which is non hostile for the sake of the security of the country at large. This ushers in efficiency but also initiates more than an iota of automation to be introduced into security checks that are critical especially in cases of border management as well as for crime processes in the light of the terror actors and the insurgents with their insidious infiltration into nations and their lifeblood.52

However, the increasing use of biometric identification also has negative consequences for citizens as well as states. 53Nations, today, often claim that the increasing levels of digitalization has made the national demarcations to disappear and made administration and monitoring a hard routine exercise for them. Seemingly ill informed and part of the Panopticon, Citizens can‘t be congenially overrun by the Regimes now. Boundaries might have been compromised, however, in the new regime of biological citizenship has given rise to what we call the biometric or mobile borders. Who can still undermine the manner in which President Donald Trump still values immigration and the especially the scenario on the Mexican borders to be a key administrative and policing exercise in the contemporary times.

The "cultures of surveillance"54 that are being ushered in and are augmenting in intensity, are facilitating the state and corporate interests by converging the human body as the ultimate identifier, where bodies are being rematerialized and are again attain relevance in the context of digital administration.

The Hollywood flick, Matrix, too, reflects the iconic dilution of humanity and individuality where in the male protagonist is himself unaware of the fact that he is a humanoid and not a normal human being and the machines are waging a relentless war against the humans. The confusions in physical space and identity realisations and subsequent transformations become the bane of a peaceful, three dimensional urban existence which leads to an evaporation of the human being in a seething struggle of existence against the morphed world of the machines.

Several scholars argue that the body uniqueness is being compromised where bodies are being penetrated more deeply than in the past world of simplicity and human memories. Our biometric information travels with us, wherever we go and the border becomes internal, transforming every checkpoint into potential sites of validation or exclusion. Biometrics is the modern form of branding. This biological citizenship,55 becomes a point of convergence, where digital identities and physical personages merge and humans become digital-biological hybrids, that finally determines the hoi polloi‘s proximity to human rights and political correctness in the comity of humans. Such surveillance mechanisms are often justified in the name of national security or any other attendant concern but it‘s a catch 22 situation of the New India’s Administration, where-in, the narrowing down of an individual citizen to a number and digital profile becomes an essentiality in the light of the national security and threats to the sovereignty and integrity of the nation at large . Its where the narrative demands a revisitation of the idioms of freedom expression and dissent which bears a negative connotation.

Emerging Trend II:

Geopolitics and Public Administration:

The vortex of Global developments are deeply intertwined with the domestic ecosystem and this deserves our attention to comprehend the cavalcade of civil services oriented knowledge germination and spread. Thus, the interconnect betwixt the domestic context and the Global context is the order of the day for the civil service aspirants. The events of Global importance range from the President Joe Biden’s inaugural, the Global rampage of the Pandemic along with the vagaries of conflicts such as the Ukraine war. Let’s rummage through the issues of Global development as they present themselves before us.

The Insurrection at Capital Hill

The violent insurrection at the US Capitol is intensifying scrutiny over security at an inauguration ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden already reshaped by a pandemic and the prospect that his predecessor may not attend.

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take the oath of office from the Capitol's West Front, one of the very locations where a violent mob overpowered police and stormed the building. They also scaled and occupied the scaffolding and bleachers in place for the ceremonies. Inauguration plans were already scaled back because of the coronavirus. But the brazen attack raises new questions about preparedness for the event that welcome the new administration after a bitter election. The congressional leaders responsible for coordinating the inauguration insisted Thursday night that events will move forward.

Public Policy is inseparably and fixatedly a part and parcel of the larger dictum of International Relations and World Politics. International Relations ahs always been associated with Political Studies as a last chapter of any treatise. This step brotherly treatment may emanate from unfamiliarity with the fundamentals and the larger ambit of the discipline of International relations, Foreign Policy and Diplomacy if the three words are utilised interchangeably. The running of International Institutions of the order of United Nations with their bureaucracies become the bane of world peace and obstruct an act of efficiency in sustenance of peace and stolidity in the World system or the comity of States.

International Administration is primarily echoed by UN and other regional groupings of the order of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SAARC, BRICS and the Quad where the formalization of the peace processes and conflict resolution suffers due to great power innovations and interventions. In the domestic polity, too, what all is derived and attained as the fruits of governance find an unstopably echo in the resultant Foreign Policy and Diplomatic practice of the nation with New Delhi and PM Narendra Modi chaperoning a rising and planned and innovation nation which leads to the shimmer and the dominance of New Delhi on the global high table.

Innovate India

Innovation is the need of the hour as has been practised in the Occident and the Indian localised contexts such as the Rahat in the Bharatiya Farmlands, the canal systems since the ancient and medieval times along with community radio in the modern age in states of the order of Kerala. All in all, the empowerment of the localised melee has been realised by the Regime of the day. With blots of the order of NREGA marring the turf of good governance, the New Government launched a slew of planning in the hinterland and the localised contexts. These developments amount as a combined kitty to the realization of the enhancement of the Village Republics adhering to the traditional strain of thought in Indian planning which was further revolutionised by the Nehruvian conceptualisation of the Industry aka the, “Temples of Modern India.”

ULB‟s and localised Development

Numerous instances abound where stellar but ordinary innovations in the Urban and Local bodies can be delved inside with some superficial and cursory detail. The system resists innovation and anything which is novae and untested but the Regimes of the day do not have any option and way out to seek redemption for the besieged populations. Thus, all this ushers in the age of New Reforms and Palliatives  as far as the notion of Urban Governance is concerned. The World Economic Report in one of its reports contends elaborately that,  Unleashing spare capacity: Many innovations cleverly make use of existing yet underutilized resources. Airbnb, for example, enables the renting out of unused private homes; co-locating schools and recreational facilities enables public-private sharing of space; and the circular economy provides opportunities to reuse, recycle and upcycle. 56

Other attendant facts follow: Cutting out the peaks: From electricity and water to roads and public transport, upwards of 20% of capacity sits idle for much of the time ready to cope with demand peaks; cutting out these peaks with technology enabled demand management or innovative pricing structures can significantly limit the burden on financial and natural resources. Cities will always need large-infrastructure projects, but sometimes small scale infrastructure from cycle lanes and bike sharing to the planting of trees for climate change adaptation can also have a big impact on an urban area .57 The west and South East Asia might not be the best instances of conducive Urban planning but an iota of copy cats has added to the health and stealth of our larger Urbania that is the conceptualisation of futuristic Smart Cities. The imagination of the world, Smart has added to the shimmer, shine and the fungibility of Urban development but mere symbolic sightings of bikers driving cycles, attire and all, on the cycle lanes do leave an indelible impact and usher in a much need awareness amongst the commoners about   Their City .

The Official portal of the Government of the day informs us that,  Cities accommodate nearly 31% of India's current population and contribute 63% of GDP (Census 2011). Urban areas are expected to house 40% of India's population and contribute 75% of India's GDP by 2030. This requires comprehensive development of physical, institutional, social and economic infrastructure. All are important in improving the quality of life and attracting people and investment, setting in motion a virtuous cycle of growth and development. Development of Smart Cities is a step in that direction. 58 The traditional mindset of the national planners suffered from a past which eulogised the  Rural and Indigenous  and despite the presence of routine schemata available for the Urban bodies, a separate and sequestered and pinpointed enunciation of future Urbania did not take up the imagination of the mandarins. Still, it has to be admitted that Bharat might boast about the themes of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, but the mainstreaming of the notion and understanding of   Smart Urbania  took a lot of time and neglect.

It can be contended amicably that,  Smart Cities focus on their most pressing needs and on the greatest opportunities to improve lives. They tap a range of approaches - digital and information technologies, urban planning best practices, public-private partnerships, and policy change - to make a difference. They always put people first. 59Everything in the format of development has always shied away from an enshrined celebration of the Urban. The phenomenon of the Cinematic variant where in flying discs serve as public transport in a post dystopian environment, which is Urban order, is not merely a piece of literary and Cinematic interpretation. Its much more than far fangled imagination where in the flying public transport and EV‘s become the norm of the day and who knows the pace at which the techne  is progressing these days, the next decade might be witness to the sci-fi changes that an unsuspecting denizen might find in the near future which will indeed will be a hallowed and much celebrated success story.

Its further argued that,  In the approach to the Smart Cities Mission, the objective is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of 'Smart' Solutions. The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas, create a replicable model which will act like a light house to other aspiring cities. The Smart Cities Mission is meant to set examples that can be replicated both within and outside the Smart City, catalysing the creation of similar Smart Cities in various regions and parts of the country. 60 The larger concern of Sustainability and inclusive growth still happen to be the running credo of the Government of the day. Politically too, the Government in 2004 adopted a mainstream narrative of  Shinning India  which failed them electorally and politically thus adding to the later day nonchalance about the Urban smart stories.

The Automaton

Automation in cities brings us to the initiation of the future through the modicum of India AI Mission in the context of the novae Urban sprawl. Machines are here to reside as our co-partners raising fears of the   D-Day of the Machines  where a meagre and minimalistic short circuiting might endanger the health and the conditionality of the citizens of the day.

The Indian AI mission is an affront to the orthodoxy and conservativeness in planning for the larger nation and its patriotic denizens.  The advent  must be accompanied by a sincere striving at arriving at a regulatory mechanism for idioms and functions, cyber and AI. The manner in which cloud payments, and cloud communications are about to become the order of the day sings paeans for the efforts of the current day Government of honourable Modiji. The Government‘s Status Paper informs us that,  India has taken a unique approach to its national AI strategy by focusing on how India can leverage AI not only for economic growth, but also for social inclusion. NITI Aayog, the government think tank that conceptualised and articulated the strategy, calls this approach #AIforAll. The strategy, as a result, aims to i) Enhance and empower Indians with the skills to find quality jobs; ii) Invest in research and sectors that can maximize economic growth and social impact and61

It is further stressed in the Status Paper that,  Scale Indian-made AI solutions to the rest of the developing world. NITI Aayog published India‘s strategy document on Artificial Intelligence on June 4, 2018. For formulation of ibid strategy, NITI Aayog has devised processes such as 9 https://niti.gov.in/national-strategy-artificial-intelligence Page 9 of 19 collaborating with experts and stakeholders, AI projects in various fields with fully explanatory proofs and designing a strategy for developing a vibrant AI ecosystem in India. 62

The advent of the Niti Ayog itsel Show Less