UPSC Mains 2017 GS4 Q3 — Ethics in Politics
Young people with ethical conduct are not willing to come forward to join active politics. Suggest steps to motivate them to come forward. (150 words)
Similar Previous Year Questions
No closely related PYQs found in our 11-year corpus — this question explores a relatively unique angle. We only surface matches with substantive topical overlap, not loose adjacency.
Related Prelims MCQs
Build factual foundation — these MCQs cover facts/concepts you'll need for this Mains question.
Source Map — where to read
"Political Theory identities, and security, and be forced to migrate. Can citizenship provide a solution to the problems of such people? If not, what kind of alternative identity can be provided today? Do we need to try and evolve a more genuinely universal identity than national citizenship? Suggestions for a notion of global citizenship are sometimes put forward. The possibilities will be discussed in the next section. List some of the stateless people living in India today. Write a short note on any of them.…"
"It suggested what steps should be taken to organise an education rally and what should be its route. The meeting did not discuss about the children who never come to school or about girls' education, or the condition of the school building and the timing of the school. No women teacher attended the meeting as it was held on Sunday. What do you think about these proceedings as an instance of people's participation? d. Imagine your class as the Gram Sabha. Discuss the agenda of the meeting and suggest some steps to realise the goal.…"
"Some of the aspects of India's relations within the subcontinent are conducted through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Its members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Established in 1985, SAARC encourages cooperation in agriculture, rural development, science and technology, culture, health, population control, narcotics control, and anti-terrorism. SAARC has internationally stressed these 'core issues' and avoided more divisive issues, although political dialogue is often conducted on the margins of SAARC meeting. In 1993, Ind…"
"We must not accept something just because it is famous, just because everyone accepts it. | Yolanda: Ma'am, can I suggest something? We don't need to look for any definition. I read somewhere that the word democracy comes from a Greek word 'Demokratia'. In Greek 'demos' means people and 'kratia' means rule. So democracy is rule by the people. This is the correct meaning. Where is the need to debate? | Lyngdoh Madam: That is also a very helpful way of thinking about this matter. I would just say that this does not always work. A word does not remain tied to its origin.…"
"• Step 1 Type the URL or scan the QR code to open the activity page. • Step 2 Click on the Timeline given below to select the British period. • Step 3 Scroll below to know about the coming of Europeans. • Step 4 In another way, select the 'British India' in the list which is located at the right-side of the page. ٨…"
How this topic is evolving
No related current-affairs trend found for this question yet.
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- Suggest steps
- Scope keywords
- Young peopleethical conductnot willing to come forwardjoin active politicsmotivate them
- Implicit sub-parts
- Identify the specific ethical and systemic barriers (deterrents) preventing value-driven youth from entering politics.
- Propose structural/institutional reforms to create a 'safe' and 'level' playing field for ethics.
- Propose socio-cultural and educational interventions to change the perception of politics as a 'dirty game'.
- Suggest incentive mechanisms or platforms that celebrate and protect ethical leadership.
- Common pitfalls
- Spending too much word count (over 50 words) on why youth don't join, instead of focusing on the 'suggest steps' directive.
- Providing generic suggestions like 'reduce corruption' without explaining 'how' to motivate a young person specifically.
- Ignoring the 'ethical conduct' aspect by suggesting purely financial or power-based incentives.
- Failing to mention the role of political parties as gatekeepers in the motivation process.
- Dimensions required
- Institutional/Legal (Electoral reforms)Societal/Attitudinal (Changing public perception)Educational (Political literacy and ethics)Organizational (Internal party democracy)Psychological (Role modeling and security)
- Marks allocation hint
Allocate approximately 30 words to briefly acknowledge the crisis of ethics in politics as a barrier. Dedicate the remaining 120 words to actionable steps, split evenly between systemic reforms (party transparency, funding) and individual/social motivators (mentorship, recognition, and security) to ensure a balanced GS4 approach.
How examiners have framed this topic over the years
Transitioned from philosophical values and political entry concerns to the technical institutionalization of Codes of Ethics within the administrative machinery.
Before 2017, the examiner focused on the broad utility of ethics for human well-being and the relevance of foundational values like impartiality in a socio-political context (2016). While the 2017 question uniquely pivoted to the 'active politics' entry barrier for ethical youth, the framing subsequently moved toward technical governance frameworks, specifically distinguishing between 'Code of Ethics' and 'Code of Conduct' (2018). This trajectory deepened into institutional solution-seeking, with 2019 and 2024 questions demanding concrete 'institutional measures' and a 'suitable model' for missing codes to internalize integrity.
PYQs this pattern was synthesized from
Answer Skeleton — fill this in
Introduction
Ethical conduct in politics involves integrity, selflessness, and accountability. Currently, a "vicious cycle" of criminalization and muscle power deters value-driven youth, necessitating a shift toward "clean politics" to harness India's demographic dividend.
Body
Systemic and Legal Reforms
- Strengthening the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to disqualify candidates with serious criminal charges [M. Laxmikant, Ch.71].
- Implementing State Funding of Elections as suggested by the Indrajit Gupta Committee to reduce the influence of "black money" and entry barriers for honest youth.
- Ensuring Internal Party Democracy through mandatory inner-party elections to replace dynastic succession with meritocracy [2nd ARC, 4th Report].
Institutional Support and Training
- Establishing Political Institutes/Fellowships (e.g., LAMP Fellowship) to provide professional exposure to legislative processes [PRS Legislative Research].
- Revitalizing Student Unions based on the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations to serve as ethical training grounds rather than wings of mainstream parties.
- Promoting lateral entry into policy-making roles to bridge the gap between activism and administration.
Social and Moral Incentivization
- Highlighting role models of ethical leadership, such as Lal Bahadur Shastri or A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in school curricula to redefine politics as "Seva" [NCERT, Civics Class IX].
- Utilizing civil society platforms to endorse candidates with clean records, reducing the social stigma associated with joining politics.
Conclusion
To quote Plato, "the penalty for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." By institutionalizing transparency and protecting whistleblowers, India can transform politics from a "dirty game" into a noble pursuit of Constitutional Morality.
Ready to practice?
Take this question, write your own answer in 150 words, and get an instant, rubric-based evaluation showing where you stand.
Open evaluation workspace →