Indian Institute of Public Administration

The Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) was established in 1954 and is research and training organization under the Ministry of Personnel of the Government of India.

It was set up as a direct result of the support and vision of its first President, India’s Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru, who placed a great responsibility on the IIPA to enhance the frontiers of knowledge in public policy and governance through applied research and education as well as training of administrators to serve the people of India. Enhancing leadership and managerial qualities on the one hand and developing a service-orientation on the other are the thrust areas of the Institute’s education and training activities. Its faculty is involved with research work mainly to suggest policy changes to ensure improved delivery of public services. The Institute has been set up to equip the public servants with knowledge, skills, and behaviour required for managing the task of governance. In its effort to enhance the leadership, managerial, and administrative capabilities of the executives in government and public sector enterprises, the Institute works in close collaboration with national and international organisations.

History

Guiding Principles

• To promote and provide for the study of Public Administration and economic and political science with special reference to public administration and the machinery of government and educational purposes incidental thereto.
• To undertake, organise and facilitate study courses, conferences and lectures and research in matters relating to public administration and the machinery of government.
• To undertake and provide for the publication of journals and of research papers and books to impart training in and promote the study of public administration.
• To establish and maintain libraries and information services to facilitate the study of public administration and spreading information in regard thereto.
• To constitute or cause to be constituted Regional Branches at convenient centers in India to promote the objects of the society.
• To cooperate with approved institutions and bodies for the purposes of helping the cause of public administration

Activities

The major activities of the Institute are: Training, Research, Advisory services, and Information dissemination and exchange. Through six decades of experience in research, training and rendering policy advice, conferences and seminars, case studies and publications, the IIPA has made significant contribution to public administration at the Union, State and Local levels.

Faculty and Academic Centres

The Institute has a distinguished faculty in the areas of public administration, political science, economics, finance, law and justice, management, behavioural science, rural studies, urban studies, sociology, policy science, environment, e-governance and information and communication technology.

The academic interaction between the faculty members of the Institute is facilitated through the academic centres of the Institute. The Institute has the following twelve Centres:

• Centre for Economic Analysis and Financial Management
• Centre for Human Resource Development and Behavioural Studies
• Centre for Management Studies and Public Enterprises
• Centre for Public Policy, Planning and Development Studies
• Centre for Rural Development Administration and Panchayati Raj
• Centre for Social Welfare Administration and Administration of Justice
• Centre for Urban Studies
• Centre for Consumer Studies
• Centre for Learning in ICT and E-Governance
• Centre for Climate Change, Environment and Drought Administration
• Centre for Values and Ethics in Public Affairs
• Governance Data Base and Resource Centre

Research

The Institute undertakes research in a large number of diverse areas that include economic and social policies, legal framework for administration at various levels, procedural and organisational change in government, citizen-centric administration, effective development of urban and rural areas, disaster management, consumer protection and welfare, poverty alleviation and gender studies. It specialises in policy evaluations, service delivery and impact analysis studies. At any point of time around 30 research studies are on-going.

Training and Educational Programmes

The Institute conducts around 120 short and long-term learning programmes aimed at capacity enhancement of civil servants, officers from the defence forces, technocrats and executives of public sector undertakings (PSUs). These programmes are either fee-based or sponsored by the Government. It designs customised programmes for other organisations.

Its flagship training initiatives include a ten-month Advanced Professional Programme in Public Administration (APPPA) that is sponsored by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). This multi-faceted programme for senior officers of the Central Government was started in 1975 and is now in its fortieth year. Another important area is managerial skill-development for senior scientists supported by the Department of Science and Technology. Customised programmes for private sector industry especially in areas of interface with Government at all levels and activating knowledge centres in Ministries and State Governments are new initiatives. The Institute also organises a number of international training programmes for participants from developing and developed countries.

Most training programmes are meant for in-service personnel only, viz., Officers from Central Ministries/Departments including Armed Forces; State Governments; Public Sector/State Enterprises and Departments of Local Self Governments and faculty of universities and institutes.

Policy Advice

IIPA undertakes a large number of assignments for Government, Public Sector Undertakings and multilateral, bilateral and other international agencies on a wide range of policy related areas. The Institute's faculty serves on a large number of Committees constituted by Union, State and Local Governments, Planning Commission, Cabinet Secretariat, as well as expert groups constituted by international agencies and thereby contribute to the task of nation building.

Conferences/Workshops/Seminars

The Institute organises conferences/seminars/ workshops on contemporary themes and public policy issues with a view to bringing together practising administrators and academia to evolve policy inputs for good governance. IIPA also conducts skill-development interaction for Civil Society and the public on topical Governance related issues.

Dissemination of Information

The Institute has enriched the literature on Public Administration through a large number of books and monographs besides research studies, proceedings of seminars /conferences and lectures, etc. The Institute publishes five periodicals regularly:

• Indian Journal of Public Administration (IJPA, Quarterly, published since 1955).
• LokPrashasan (Hindi, six-monthly, published since 2009)
• Nagarlok (Quarterly, published since 1969)
• Documentation in Public Administration (DPA, Quarterly, published since 1973).
• IIPA Newsletter (Monthly, published since 1955)

So far IIPA has published more than 400 books, monographs, reports, working papers, and compendiums in spheres of governance and public administration.

Campus And Infrastructure

The Institute is located in the heart of Delhi in a sprawling seven acres of greenery. It has a conference hall and several lecture halls, all equipped with updated teaching aids and communication facilities, a computer centre with the latest hardware and relevant software, a library rich in collection and subscription and an auditorium with a seating capacity of 500. The Institute campus has ample facilities for organising conferences, seminars, and training sessions. The facilities include state of the art audio-video system, data projection systems, a modern computer center, Internet facilities, a well-equipped library, an auditorium, and a well-furnished hundred- room hostel with mess facilities in the campus. The Institute also has a branch of a nationalised bank (UCO) on the campus. A part-time medical officer appointed by the Institute is available in the campus on alternate working days to provide first aid facilities.

IIPA Library

The IIPA Library is one of the major social science resource centres in India and its Public Documents section is amongst the best in the country. It is automated with a collection of over 2.5 lakh books and periodicals. It facilitates access to several thousand journals and other resources through a number of electronic databases and has digitised important documents for posterity. It is a depository library for the publications of the World Bank and has been accorded co-operating library status for the publications of International Monetary Fund. The library thus facilitates on-line access to the knowledge portals of the World Bank and its associate institutions. At the National level, IIPA library maintains linkages with various national library networks.