The structure and principles of public organization in Kautilya's Arthashastra
By: Ashwani Kumar.
Material type:
ArticlePublisher: 2005Description: p.463-88.Subject(s): Arthashastra | Kautilya | Organizations | Bureaucracy | Public administration
In:
Indian Journal of Political ScienceSummary: Based on the famous Indian treatise on administration, Kautilya's Arthashastra, the paper attempts to describe and explain the concept of public organization in ancient India. Unlike "The Prince" of Machiavelli, Kautilya's bureaucratic welfare state presides over the vast range of public activities from the duties of kings, ministers, and officials to regulation of commerce, diplomacy, and even marriage and divorce activities. Based on the idea of a clear chain of command, Arthashastra gives a fairly decent account of Weberian elements of bureaucracy such as hierarchy, formality, professionalization and record-keeping. Contrary to the popular view of Kautilya as an apologist for unethical statecraft, this pape r portrays him as a remarkably astute thinker on the theory and practice of organization. Defining the highest goal of public organization in terms of social welfare (yoga-kshema), Kautilya emerges as one of the earliest precusors of modern concept of value based organization and leadership. - Reproduced.
| Item type | Current location | Call number | Vol info | Status | Date due | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Articles
|
Indian Institute of Public Administration | Volume no: 66, Issue no: 1 | Available | AR67571 |
Based on the famous Indian treatise on administration, Kautilya's Arthashastra, the paper attempts to describe and explain the concept of public organization in ancient India. Unlike "The Prince" of Machiavelli, Kautilya's bureaucratic welfare state presides over the vast range of public activities from the duties of kings, ministers, and officials to regulation of commerce, diplomacy, and even marriage and divorce activities. Based on the idea of a clear chain of command, Arthashastra gives a fairly decent account of Weberian elements of bureaucracy such as hierarchy, formality, professionalization and record-keeping. Contrary to the popular view of Kautilya as an apologist for unethical statecraft, this pape r portrays him as a remarkably astute thinker on the theory and practice of organization. Defining the highest goal of public organization in terms of social welfare (yoga-kshema), Kautilya emerges as one of the earliest precusors of modern concept of value based organization and leadership. - Reproduced.
There are no comments for this item.