ABSTRACT
Effective public administration involves a high level of synergy and commitment of both politicians and bureaucrats to deliver what the people want. Unfortunately, public administration has often been top-down and not adequately people-centric. If administrators could demonstrate heroic and protective qualities of a raja and the wisdom and detachment of a rishi, effective administration is bound to follow.
The chapter raises the following key question: if we want to have a more wisdom-based and ethical administration at all levels of government, what do we need to do?
The chapter concludes that the values of the society matters for people-centred administration to be effective, not mere administrative reforms. Governance cannot improve without setting up appropriate institutional arrangements to engender and even incentivize better conduct by all citizens. The leverage point of change comes from other dimensions of society; hence only a society with a well-defined and accepted value system will ensure a continuing stream of rajarshi statesmen and virtuous administrators.
