1. Public administration 1b
bpa
2ND semester 2015

2. Government and the public sector

3. The public sector
The public sector is the part of economic and administrative life that deals with the delivery of goods and services by and for the government, whether national, regional or local/municipal.
Examples of public sector activity range from delivering social security, administering urban planning and organizing national defences

4. Format of public sector
Direct administration (funded through taxes)
Publically owned corporations (“SOC”)
Partial outsourcing
Complete outsourcing (regarded as a borderline form)

5. The private sector
The private sector is fundamentally part of the economy that is both run for profit and is not controlled by the state. By contrast, enterprises that are part of the state are part of the public sector:

6. Format of the private sector
Note: Public companies are part of the private sector, despite their name
Companies (public and private)
Partnerships
Sole traders etc….

7. The public service
Public service is a term used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing private provision of services.
The term is associated with a social consensus (usually expressed through democratic elections) that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income.

8. Public services
Public services tend to be those considered so essential to modern life that for moral reasons their universal provision should be guaranteed, and they may be associated wi th fundamental human rights (such as the right to water).

9. Examples of public services
Health
Military
Police
Education
Broadcasting
Telecommunications
Transport
Housing

10. Characteristics of public services
May be public goods or merit goods
Normally a service (as opposed to a good)
May be provided by local or national monopoly
May involve hard to measure outputs or hard to measure quality
May require high levels of training or education

11. History of public services
Generally began late 19th Century in Europe
Focussed on provision of water and gas
Later expanded to other services such as electricity, health etc

12. nationalisation
Post WW2 Europe saw many demands on limited resources which required central planning to maximise efficient production – this lead to Government owned supply

13. privatisation Private company Partial State ownership
Public –private partnership

14. government
A government is a body that has the power to make and the authority to enforce rules and laws within a civil, corporate, religious, academic, or other organization or group.

15. Classification of governments
In autocracies, one individual holds all the power. This category includes absolute monarchies, as well as dictatorships.
In oligarchies, political power is held by a small group of people who share the same interests.
Democracies are governments where the people as a whole hold the power. It may be exercised by them (direct democracy), or through representatives chosen by them (representative democracy).
Anarchy is a lack of government or imposed rule.

16. The origins of governmnt
Force theory
Order and tradition
Natural rights
Social contract