Re-envisioning Public Administration in India through Deendayal Upadhyaya’s Integral Humanism: A Normative, Ethical, and Decentralized Governance Framework

Abstract

This research paper explores the concept of Integral Humanism as a missionary normative model, as formulated by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, that can re-invent the idea of the public administration in India. It is on this background of inherited Weberian and colonial bureaucracies of India that is characterised by hierarchy, impersonality and rigid procedures, which ensures that the paper posits that Integral Humanism presents a culturally based, but ethically sound alternative. The analysis of five pillars of the Integral Humanism, namely dharma (moral order), integrated personhood, subsidiarity and decentralisation, Antyodaya (welfare of the last person), and selective modernisation shows that the theory advocates ethical governance, human dignity, participatory democracy, and inclusive development. The paper places Integral Humanism in the context of the discussions of the theory of public administration, decentralisation reforms, welfare governance, and indigenous knowledge systems by conducting a comprehensive literature review and theoretical analysis. It brings out how the philosophy adds to the global governance ideas of polycentric decision-making and network governance and their limitation of Western administrative paradigms that fail to take into account the cultural sensitivity and human-centered ethics. Simultaneously, the paper critically evaluates conceptual, operational and institutional tensions of the application of a culture based normative system in a constitutionally pluralistic and administratively multifaceted country. This research paper concludes that in spite of the transformative potential of Integral Humanism to ethical and people-centred governance, its practical implementation needs institutional design attention, anti-politicisation protection, and administrative tools, evaluation systems, and decentralised capacity building development. On the whole, it can be concluded that Integral Humanism can be used as a corrective and complementary paradigm that would add values to the theory and practice of public administration in India.