BPAC 106 Solved Question Paper for the June 2026 term-end exam answers every question IGNOU printed in the Understanding Public Policy paper, from the systems model of policy analysis to the achievements of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan. Two answers are open below, and the full file comes on WhatsApp 9899436384.
BPAC 106 Key Facts
- Course code: BPAC 106
- Subject: Understanding Public Policy
- Programme: Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Public Administration (BAPAH), core course
- Credits: 6 (IGNOU assignment booklet 2026-27)
- Blocks and units: 4 blocks, 14 units
- Maximum marks: 100
- Duration: 3 hours
- Questions in the June 2026 paper: 8 (10 answers, as Q4 and Q8 each have two short notes)
- Samples shown on this page: 2 (Question 1 and Question 2)
- Questions in the paid file: All 8 questions with 10 answers; 6 questions (8 answers) are not shown here
What the BPAC 106 Solved Question Paper June 2026 Covers
BPAC 106 Understanding Public Policy is a 6-credit core course in IGNOU's Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Public Administration (BAPAH) that studies how governments frame, carry out, monitor and evaluate policy.
The June 2026 paper, booklet B-2457, printed 8 questions in two sections. Section A stays with theory: meaning and scope, the systems model, Nehru's economic, agricultural and social policies, ideology and globalisation. Section B moves to practice: interest groups, evaluation tools, monitoring constraints, social policy models and MKSS.
Our file solves every one of them in the length the paper asks for. Long answers sit near 400 words and the four short notes near 200 words, so you rehearse exactly what the examiner expects to read inside three hours.
If you are collecting papers across the programme, the BAPAH Question Paper collection sits alongside this one. This page stays with the June 2026 BPAC 106 Question Paper and the answers our team wrote for it.
Two BPAC 106 Answers Solved in Full, Plus the Six Questions Kept for the File
Questions 1 and 2 of the June 2026 BPAC 106 paper are solved in full below; the other six questions, carrying 8 answers, are answered only in the paid file.
Section A Question 1 20 marks Unit 1
1. Discuss the meaning, nature and scope of public policy.
Introduction. Public policy is the course of action a government chooses in order to deal with a problem that affects people collectively. The term joins two ideas. 'Public' marks out the sphere of shared concerns that call for common action, as opposed to purely private matters, while 'policy' means a deliberate plan or principle that guides a series of decisions towards a goal.
Meaning. Thomas R. Dye gave the shortest definition: public policy is whatever governments choose to do or not to do. David Easton saw it as the authoritative allocation of values for the whole society. James E. Anderson called it a relatively stable, purposive course of action followed by an actor or set of actors in dealing with a problem or matter of concern.
Carl J. Friedrich added that a policy is proposed within a given environment that offers both obstacles and opportunities. Taken together, these definitions show that public policy is purposive, comes from those who hold authority, and is aimed at a public problem.
Nature. First, public policy is goal-oriented; it is framed to achieve stated objectives, such as universal school enrolment. Second, it is made by authoritative bodies, the legislature, the executive and the bureaucracy, so it carries the force of law. Third, it can be positive, a deliberate action, or negative, a deliberate decision not to act, which Dye's definition captures.
Fourth, policy is a pattern of action over time rather than a one-off decision, because it includes implementation. Fifth, it is dynamic; feedback from results leads to revision. Sixth, it is the product of interaction among many actors, including political parties, civil servants, interest groups, the media and civil society organisations.
Scope. The scope of public policy is wide and grows with the functions of the modern state. By subject, it covers economic policy (fiscal, industrial, trade), social policy (education, health, welfare), defence and foreign policy, and environmental and science policy. India's National Health Policy 2017 and National Education Policy 2020 are examples from the social field.
By type, Theodore Lowi classed policies as distributive, regulatory and redistributive, later adding constituent policies. By stage, the scope covers the whole policy cycle: problem identification and agenda setting, formulation, adoption, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. As a field of study, Harold Lasswell's call for the policy sciences in 1951 widened it to knowledge of and in the policy process.
Conclusion. Public policy is therefore far more than a government statement. It is a purposive, authoritative and changing course of action, shaped by many actors and running through every stage from agenda to evaluation, which is why its study sits at the centre of public administration.
Section A Question 2 20 marks Unit 4
2. Examine the Estonian model of policy analysis.
Note on the question. The printed paper says 'Estonian model', but the intended topic is the Eastonian model, David Easton's systems model of policy analysis. The same topic was set with the correct spelling, 'Eastonian', in the December 2024 and June 2025 BPAC 106 papers.
Introduction. David Easton, the political scientist who defined politics as the authoritative allocation of values, borrowed the idea of a system from biology and applied it to political life. He developed it in The Political System (1953), A Framework for Political Analysis (1965) and A Systems Analysis of Political Life (1965). In this view, public policy is the output of a political system responding to its environment.
Environment. Every political system sits inside an environment that presses on it. Easton divided it into the intra-societal environment, meaning the economy, culture and social structure of the country, and the extra-societal environment, meaning the international system and wider ecological conditions.
Inputs. The environment reaches the system as inputs of two kinds. Demands are claims for action, such as farmers asking for better procurement prices. Supports are the backing that keeps the system going, such as voting, paying taxes, obeying laws and accepting the legitimacy of the government.
Conversion process. Inside the system, the legislature, executive, bureaucracy, courts and parties turn inputs into decisions. Easton treated this stage as a black box. Not every demand gets in; gatekeepers such as party leaders, interest groups and the media filter which demands reach decision makers.
Outputs and feedback. Outputs are authoritative decisions: laws, policies, budgets and rules. Their effects change the environment and return to the system through a feedback loop as fresh demands and supports. This loop lets the system adapt and survive.
An Indian illustration. Demand for clean cooking fuel in poor rural households was an input; the Union government's output was the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, launched in May 2016 to give LPG connections to women from poor households. Feedback on the cost of refills became a new input, and a targeted refill subsidy for Ujjwala beneficiaries followed in 2022 as a revised output.
Merits. The model gives a simple, complete picture of the policy process. It links policy to its social and international setting, shows that policy making is continuous rather than a single event, and draws attention to feedback, which is the basis of policy evaluation. It also allows comparison between political systems.
Limitations. Critics point out that the black box hides the most important part, how and by whom decisions are actually made. The model leans towards stability and equilibrium and says little about conflict and power, a gap that elite theorists stress. It is abstract and hard to test, and it assumes the system responds to demands, while leaders often shape the demands themselves.
Conclusion. Easton's model remains the starting point for policy analysis because it turns policy into a visible flow of inputs, conversion, outputs and feedback. Read alongside models that open the black box, such as the rational and incremental models, it gives a balanced view of how public policy is made.
Questions answered only in the full file
These six questions appear below exactly as IGNOU printed them. Their answers are not given on this page. Question 3 has three parts on Nehru, and Question 7 asks for both constraints and measures, so these two reward a well planned answer more than most.
- 3. Analyse Nehru’s view on (a) Economic (b) Agriculture and (c) social policies.
- 4. Write short notes on the following in about 200 words each : (a) Impact of political ideology on public policy (b) Policy in context of globalization
- 5. Discuss the strategies of interest groups in policy process.
- 6. Examine the tools and techniques of policy evaluation.
- 7. Bring out the constraints of policy monitoring. Suggest suitable measures for effective policy monitoring.
- 8. Write short notes on the following in about 200 words each : (a) Social policy and public policy models (b) Achievements of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangthan (MKSS)
BPAC 106 Understanding Public Policy Syllabus by Block and Unit
BPAC 106 is arranged in 4 blocks and 14 units, moving from the context of public policy to ideology, civil society and finally policy evaluation.
| Block | Unit | Key topics |
|---|---|---|
| Block 1: Context of Public Policy | Unit 1: Meaning, Nature and Scope of Public Policy | Ideas of 'public' and 'policy'; definitions by Dye and Anderson; positive and negative policy |
| Block 1: Context of Public Policy | Unit 2: Changing Nature of State and its Impact on Public Policy | Policy in capitalist, totalitarian and developing states; shift in the role of the welfare state |
| Block 1: Context of Public Policy | Unit 3: Understanding Policy in Context of Theories of State | Elite-mass theory; pluralist approach; globalist theory and the state |
| Block 1: Context of Public Policy | Unit 4: Models of Policy Making | Easton's systems model; Simon's rational model; Dror's normative optimum model |
| Block 2: Public Policy and Ideology | Unit 5: Impact of Political Ideology on Public Policy | Meaning and nature of political ideology; ideology across the policy process |
| Block 2: Public Policy and Ideology | Unit 6: Ideology and Policy of Nehruvian Vision | Planned mixed economy; agrarian and land policy; Nehru's social policies |
| Block 2: Public Policy and Ideology | Unit 7: Policy in Context of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation | 1991 economic reforms; privatisation; globalisation and the national policy agenda |
| Block 3: Public Policy and Civil Society | Unit 8: Role of Interest Groups | Types and theories of interest groups; lobbying and other pressure strategies |
| Block 3: Public Policy and Civil Society | Unit 9 | Role of civil society in the policy process; salient features of NGOs |
| Block 3: Public Policy and Civil Society | Unit 10 | Characteristics of social movements; the MKSS campaign for transparency |
| Block 4: Policy Evaluation | Unit 11 | Concept of social policy; social policy measures in India; social and economic justice |
| Block 4: Policy Evaluation | Unit 12: Tools and Techniques of Policy Evaluation | Types of policy evaluation; cost-benefit analysis; stakeholders in evaluation |
| Block 4: Policy Evaluation | Unit 13: Nature of Policy Analysis | Meaning and concerns of policy analysis; types; origin and development |
| Block 4: Policy Evaluation | Unit 14: Policy Monitoring and Analysis Techniques | Monitoring time performance; constraints of monitoring; remedial measures |
Block titles and Units 1 to 6 match the BAPAH programme guide and the official BPAC 106 page on eGyanKosh.
In June 2026, Blocks 1 and 2 supplied Section A and Blocks 3 and 4 supplied Section B. For unit-wise notes that follow this same plan, see our BPAC 106 Study Material.
BPAC 106 Question Paper Pattern, Sections and Word Limits
The June 2026 BPAC 106 Question Paper gives 3 hours for 100 marks: you attempt five of eight questions, at least two from each section, each worth 20 marks.
| Feature | What the paper says |
|---|---|
| Duration and marks | 3 hours, 100 marks, all questions of equal weight (20 marks each) |
| Questions printed | 8, split into Section A (Q1 to Q4) and Section B (Q5 to Q8) |
| Questions to attempt | Any five, with at least two from each section |
| Long answer length | About 400 words; June 2022 and December 2022 papers asked for about 500 |
| Short notes | Q4 and Q8 each split into two notes of about 200 words and 10 marks |
| Section A focus in June 2026 | Meaning and scope, systems model, Nehru's three policy fields, ideology and globalisation |
| Section B focus in June 2026 | Interest group strategies, evaluation tools, monitoring constraints, social policy models, MKSS |
| Section labels | Section I and II until June 2025; Section A and B from December 2025 |
Two changes matter if you practise from older papers. The word limit fell from about 500 to about 400 words after December 2022, and the section labels changed from I and II to A and B in December 2025.
Older papers on the same pattern are listed on our IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper page, which is the easiest way to time yourself against real questions.
BPAC 106 Topics IGNOU Keeps Repeating Since June 2022
Globalisation and interest groups are the most repeated BPAC 106 topics, each appearing in 7 of the 8 official papers from June 2022 to December 2025.
| Topic | Sessions asked | Times (out of 8) | Asked in June 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy in the context of liberalisation, privatisation, globalisation and globalist theory | June 2022, June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2025, December 2025 | 7 | Yes, Q4(b) |
| Interest groups: strategies, activities, types and theories | June 2022, December 2022, June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, June 2025, December 2025 | 7 | Yes, Q5 |
| Policy-making models of Simon, Vickers and Dror, rational and rational choice | June 2022, December 2022, June 2023, June 2024, December 2024, December 2025 | 6 | No |
| Meaning, nature and concept of public policy, 'public' and 'policy' | June 2022, June 2023, June 2024, June 2025, December 2025 | 5 | Yes, Q1 |
| Nehru's economic, agricultural and social policies | June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, June 2025, December 2025 | 5 | Yes, Q3 |
| Impact of political ideology on public policy | June 2022, December 2022, December 2023, December 2024, June 2025 | 5 | Yes, Q4(a) |
| Policy monitoring: techniques, time performance, remedial measures | June 2022, December 2022, December 2023, June 2025, December 2025 | 5 | Yes, Q7 |
| Policy analysis: meaning, types, issues, origin | December 2022, December 2023, June 2024, June 2025, December 2025 | 5 | No |
| Eastonian systems model and process model | December 2022, June 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2025 | 5 | Yes, Q2 and Q8(a) |
| Elite-mass and pluralist theories of state | December 2022, December 2023, June 2024, December 2025 | 4 | No |
| Policy in capitalist, totalitarian and developing states | June 2022, December 2022, June 2023, December 2024 | 4 | No |
| Policy evaluation: tools, types, cost-benefit analysis | June 2022, June 2023, December 2024, December 2025 | 4 | Yes, Q6 |
| Role of civil society in the policy process | December 2022, December 2023, December 2024, December 2025 | 4 | No |
| Social policy concept and measures in India | June 2022, December 2022, December 2023, June 2024 | 4 | Yes, Q8(a) |
| Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan | June 2023, December 2024 | 2 | Yes, Q8(b) |
We counted only papers we could open on ignou.ac.in and webservices.ignou.ac.in: June 2022, December 2022, June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2025 and December 2025. A topic counts once per session, even if two questions touch it.
Seven of the June 2026 questions came straight from topics already set three or more times. For predicted questions for the next exam, see our IGNOU Important Questions page.
How Our BPAC 106 Answers Are Written and Checked
Every answer in the IGNOU BPAC 106 Solved Question Paper is written by Prateek Talwar and reviewed by Sheetal Kirola against the course material and the exact printed question.
Each long answer opens with a defined term, then moves through headed sections such as meaning, nature and scope, so the examiner can find every part. Named thinkers the course relies on, Dye, Anderson, Easton, Simon and Dror, appear with the idea they are known for.
Where the course allows, we add a dated Indian example, such as the Ujjwala scheme of 2016 in the systems model answer. Model questions get a labelled flow diagram, because a drawn input, conversion, output and feedback chain earns marks faster than prose.
The review checks three things: the answer matches the printed wording, including slips such as 'Estonian'; the length fits the 400 or 200 word limit; and every part of a multi-part question, like the three fields in Question 3, gets its own heading.
BPAC 106 Solved File Index by Question and Unit
BPAC 106 is a theory-only course with no practical record, so this index maps each of the 8 questions and 10 answers to its unit and shows where you can read it.
| Question | Topic in brief | Course unit | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Meaning, nature and scope of public policy | Unit 1 | On this page |
| Q2 | Systems model of policy analysis (printed as 'Estonian') | Unit 4 | On this page |
| Q3 | Nehru's economic, agricultural and social policies | Unit 6 | Full file only |
| Q4(a) | Political ideology and public policy (short note) | Unit 5 | Full file only |
| Q4(b) | Policy and globalisation (short note) | Unit 7 | Full file only |
| Q5 | Interest group strategies in the policy process | Unit 8 | Full file only |
| Q6 | Tools and techniques of policy evaluation | Unit 12 | Full file only |
| Q7 | Constraints and measures in policy monitoring | Unit 14 | Full file only |
| Q8(a) | Social policy and policy models (short note) | Unit 4 and Unit 11 | Full file only |
| Q8(b) | Achievements of MKSS (short note) | Block 3 | Full file only |
Only Q1 and Q2 are open here. The other eight answers, spread across six questions, are in the paid file, which follows this same order so you can move unit by unit.
Programmes That Study BPAC 106 Understanding Public Policy
BPAC 106 Understanding Public Policy is a core course of IGNOU's BA (Honours) Public Administration, programme code BAPAH.
Learners in the IGNOU Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Public Administration programme study it as a compulsory 6-credit paper with three tutor marked assignments.
IGNOU's June 2024 paper for this code was printed under a Bachelor of Arts (General) (BAG) header, so BAG learners who chose it sat the same paper.
The course builds the theory that BPAC 108 Public Policy and Administration in India later applies to Indian institutions, so a firm grip on models and evaluation here pays off in that paper too.
How to Get the Full BPAC 106 Solved Question Paper on WhatsApp
Send 'BPAC 106 June 2026' on WhatsApp to 9899436384 to get the full BPAC 106 Solved Question Paper with all 8 questions and 10 answers.
You get the 2 answers shown here plus the 8 answers not shown: Nehru's three policy fields, both Q4 notes, interest group strategies, evaluation tools, monitoring constraints and measures, and both Q8 notes.
Our team replies on WhatsApp with the details and shares the PDF once your order is confirmed. Mention your programme, BAPAH or BAG, so we can point you to the right related papers.
BPAC 106 Understanding Public Policy FAQs
These are the BPAC 106 questions students ask us most before the term-end exam.
What is in the BPAC 106 Solved Question Paper June 2026?
The file solves all 8 questions of the IGNOU June 2026 term-end paper for BPAC 106 Understanding Public Policy. That comes to 10 written answers, because Questions 4 and 8 each carry two short notes of about 200 words. The long answers run to about 400 words, as the paper instructs. Question 1 and Question 2 are printed in full on this page as samples.
How do I get the full BPAC 106 solved file on WhatsApp?
Send a WhatsApp message to 9899436384 with the code BPAC 106 and the session June 2026. Our team replies with the details and shares the complete PDF once your order is confirmed. The file carries all 8 questions with 10 answers, including the 6 questions and 8 answers that are not shown on this page, so nothing from the paper is left out.
Why does the BPAC 106 June 2026 paper say Estonian model?
It is a printing slip in the official paper. Question 2 refers to David Easton's systems model, which the course material calls the Eastonian model, and the same topic was set with the correct spelling in December 2024 and June 2025. Our sample answer treats it as Easton's input, conversion, output and feedback model and notes the misprint at the start.
Which BPAC 106 topics repeat most often in IGNOU papers?
Across eight papers from June 2022 to December 2025, policy in the context of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation appeared in seven sessions, and interest groups also appeared in seven. Policy-making models of Simon, Vickers and Dror came up in six. Meaning of public policy, Nehru's policies, ideology, monitoring, policy analysis and the systems model each appeared in five sessions.
How many questions must I attempt in BPAC 106 Understanding Public Policy?
You attempt any five of the eight questions, with at least two from Section A and two from Section B. Every question carries 20 marks, so the paper totals 100 marks over 3 hours. Long answers are expected in about 400 words, while Questions 4 and 8 split into two short notes of about 200 words and 10 marks each.
How many credits does BPAC 106 Understanding Public Policy carry?
BPAC 106 is a core course of IGNOU's Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Public Administration, programme code BAPAH, and it carries 6 credits. Its material runs across 4 blocks, moving from the context of public policy through ideology and civil society to policy evaluation. As a 6-credit course, it also needs three tutor marked assignments alongside the term-end exam.
Are the BPAC 106 answers based on the IGNOU study material?
Yes. Each answer follows the arguments and vocabulary of the BPAC 106 self-learning material on eGyanKosh, then adds named thinkers such as Thomas Dye, James Anderson and David Easton, with dated Indian examples where they fit. Prateek Talwar writes the answers and Sheetal Kirola reviews them for accuracy, word limits and the paper's exact wording before the file goes out.
Can the BPAC 106 solved paper help in the December 2026 exam?
It helps with the topics, though you should never expect identical questions. IGNOU has set the meaning of public policy, Nehru's policies, interest groups and policy monitoring again and again, and the June 2026 paper asked all four. Practising these answers within the 400 and 200 word limits prepares you for the same topics when they return in new wording.