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2016 · Q3 · Running a constitution and the politics–administration relationship (20 marks)

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CSS 2016 · Q3 · 20 marks · Topic: I.3 Issues in Theory and Practice — Democracy vs Bureaucracy, Politics vs Administration, Efficiency vs Equity (history of the dichotomy in Extra · Evolution of Public Administration — Five Paradigms)

Same idea asked again: 2019 Q2 (politics and PA) · 2022 Q8a (Wilson) · 2020 Q7 / 2022 Q2 (democracy vs bureaucracy)

1. Question

It is easier to make a constitution than to run it. Discuss in the light of Politics Administration dichotomy.

2. What the examiner wants

  • Spot the source: the line comes from Wilson's 1887 essay. Naming it shows command of the subject.
  • Explain the dichotomy (Wilson, Goodnow) and why it was proposed (about 6 marks).
  • Explain why running is harder than drafting, using the dichotomy (about 6 marks).
  • Critique and Pakistan (about 6 marks), then a balanced verdict (about 2 marks).

3. Outline

  • I. Introduction
    • A. Wilson's 1887 line
    • B. Constitution = promise; administration = delivery
    • C. Thesis
  • II. The politics–administration dichotomy
    • A. Wilson: administration as "a field of business"
    • B. Goodnow: expression vs execution of the state's will
    • C. Why it was proposed: spoils system and the Pendleton Act
  • III. Why running a constitution is harder
    • A. Rights need institutions
    • B. Capacity and money
    • C. Political will and patronage
    • D. Coordination between tiers
  • IV. Limits of the dichotomy
    • A. Simon, Appleby, Waldo
    • B. Svara's complementarity
    • C. Two-way risk
  • V. Pakistan's experience
    • A. Nine years to make a constitution, then abrogations
    • B. Bureaucratic dominance in the 1950s
    • C. 1973 Constitution, suspensions and the 18th Amendment
    • D. Politicised postings today
  • VI. Way forward
  • VII. Conclusion

4. Model answer

I. Introduction

  • Woodrow Wilson wrote in 1887: "It is getting to be harder to run a constitution than to frame one." The examiner's sentence is built on that line.
  • A constitution is a promise — it lists rights, powers and institutions.
  • Administration is the delivery — the daily machinery that turns those promises into schools, courts, police stations and tax offices.
  • Thesis: the dichotomy helps explain why running is harder, because it shows that good law needs a separate, competent machine to carry it out. But a rigid wall between politics and administration is neither possible nor desirable.

II. The politics–administration dichotomy

  • Wilson (1887), "The Study of Administration":
    • "The field of administration is a field of business," removed from the hurry and strife of politics.
    • Politics sets the tasks; it should not be allowed to manipulate the offices.
  • Frank Goodnow (Politics and Administration, 1900):
    • Politics = expression of the will of the state (making policy).
    • Administration = execution of that will (carrying it out).
    • He also warned that if the two are separated by law, parties will pull control back informally.
  • Why it was proposed:
    • the American spoils system filled offices with party loyalists;
    • the Pendleton Act (1883) began merit recruitment;
    • the dichotomy gave intellectual cover for a neutral, professional civil service.

III. Why running a constitution is harder than making it

  • Drafting needs one agreement; running needs millions of daily decisions by people who were never in the drafting room.
  • Rights need institutions:
    • Article 10A (fair trial) needs working courts, prosecutors and record rooms;
    • Article 19A (right to information) needs information officers and proper filing;
    • Article 25A (free education, 5–16) needs schools, teachers and a budget.
  • Capacity: merit-based staff, training, data and equipment cannot be written into existence.
  • Money: every promised right has a recurring cost.
  • Political will: patronage, selective enforcement and interference in postings quietly undo what the text says.
  • Coordination: federal, provincial and local tiers must cooperate (Article 140A on local government; Article 160 on the NFC).
  • This is the dichotomy's point: making the law is political; running it is administrative — and the second is the harder, slower half.

IV. Limits of the dichotomy

  • Herbert Simon (1947): facts and values cannot be cleanly split in any real decision.
  • Paul Appleby (Policy and Administration, 1949): administration is itself policy-making.
  • Dwight Waldo (The Administrative State, 1948): administrators shape public life, so they cannot be "neutral machines."
  • James Svara (2001): politicians and officials are complementary: distinct roles but shared work.
  • In practice:
    • officials advise ministers and draft rules;
    • they use discretion in individual cases;
    • legislators keep supervising after laws pass.
  • Two-way risk: civil servants can obstruct lawful policy; politicians can bully or reward loyalty.

V. Pakistan's experience

  • Making took nine years: the first constitution came only in 1956.
  • Running failed quickly:
    • the 1956 Constitution was abrogated in 1958;
    • the 1962 Constitution was abrogated in 1969.
  • Administration over politics in the 1950s: former civil servants Ghulam Muhammad and Iskander Mirza dominated; the first Constituent Assembly was dissolved in 1954.
  • The 1973 Constitution was made by consensus, yet it was suspended in 1977 and held in abeyance in 1999 — a textbook case of "easier to make than to run."
  • 18th Amendment (2010): devolved subjects and inserted Article 140A, but local governments have been elected irregularly and provinces have lacked capacity.
  • Today's problem: frequent transfers and postings of officers for political convenience, which weakens tenure and continuity.

VI. Way forward

  • Draw a clear line between lawful political direction and improper interference.
  • Protect merit and tenure: recruitment through FPSC (Article 242) and minimum tenure for key posts.
  • Written, reasoned orders so that decisions can be checked.
  • Oversight that works: Public Accounts Committee, Auditor-General (Articles 168–171), High Courts (Article 199) and the Ombudsman.
  • Regular local government elections so the constitution is felt at the door of the citizen.

VII. Conclusion

  • Wilson was right that running a constitution is harder than writing one, and Pakistan's history proves it.
  • The dichotomy explains why: delivery depends on a competent, professional administration.
  • But an absolute wall fails. Constitutions survive through lawful cooperation — elected leaders giving direction, professional officials giving expertise, and institutions keeping both in check.

5. 🎯 CSS Exam Perspective

  • Time and length: about 30 minutes, three to four pages.
  • High-scoring touches: open with Wilson's exact line; draw a two-box diagram (Politics → will; Administration → execution) with a two-way arrow labelled "Svara: complementarity."
  • Must-cite: Wilson, Goodnow, Simon, Appleby, Waldo, Svara; Articles 10A, 19A, 25A, 140A, 242.
  • Common mistakes: turning it into a Pakistan history essay; forgetting to tie each example back to the dichotomy.
  • Reuse: sections II and IV answer 2019 Q2 and the 2022 Wilson short note.