How not to reform the IAS

Today's TOI carries an article by two ISB profs on reforming the IAS. Frankly, I find the proposals impracticable.

The authors propose that at the end of seven years, IAS officers be given the following options;

Continuation in the service at a prestigious senior position for which the officer may have to compete with other experts from outside the service who could be inducted laterally (something that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has espoused).

A fully paid scholarship to any PhD, MBA, or other top professional programmes in the world (eg Harvard MBA, Princeton Masters in Public Policy, or a PhD at the University of Chicago) into which the officer can get admission based on his or her merit.

  A Rs 1 crore seed capital from a capital fund run by professional venture capitalists to begin an entrepreneurial startup venture

 

Those who can compete with. Others will try to upgrade themselves with higher studies. Those who want out can be turn entrepreneurs.

 

Well, it's not clear that the alternative to being in the IAS is becoming an entrepreneur. But even if some want to take the plunge, the government cannot, by any stretch of imagination, lavish Rs 1 crore on anybody who wants it. How do you ensure accountability of the money spent?

As for the second option, it is already being exercised.  Many go for higher studies, a few quit thereafter.

It is also not possible to get IAS officers to compete with outside experts for all positions. This can happen only for a few positions that require technical expertise.For the vast majority of generalist positions, outsiders can't fit in- the IAS training and background are indispensable.

The authors also propose that the government recruit from professional courses even at the entry level. That would completely undermine the IAS exam. Today, IITians and IIM students appear for the IAS exam. The authors are saying they- and others from professional courses- could be hired from campuses, as  happens with corporates. This overlooks the fact that the IAS written exams plus interviews look for qualities other than mere technical competence. That is what gives the IAS exam its cachet and ensures high quality of recruits.

 

 By and large, the IAS at the centre remains meritocratic above the joint secretary level. And the pressure to perform is pretty intense. The problem is at the states. That has to do, not just with the motivation and incentives of IAS officers, it has to do with the way politicians run the system. That calls for reform of a different character from what the IBS profs propose.