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Public Administration vocabulary · Government Structure

Public sector

Meaning in public administration, with examples

/ˌpʌblɪk ˈsektə/nounCore term

In public administration, public sector means: The part of the economy owned, funded or run by the state, including ministries, agencies, local authorities, state schools and hospitals, and state-owned companies.

In Turkish: kamu sektörü, kamu kesimi

How it is used

Usually contrasted with the private sector and the voluntary or non-profit sector. Common in news and reports: public sector jobs, public sector pay, public sector reform. Before a noun it is often hyphenated: public-sector workers.

Example sentences

  1. Nearly a fifth of the city's workforce is employed in the public sector.

  2. Many graduates prefer the public sector because of job security.

Common collocations

  • public sector employee
  • public sector reform
  • public sector pay
  • work in the public sector
  • public administrationThe work of putting government policies into practice and running public institutions; also the academic subject that studies how the state is organized and managed.
  • state-owned enterpriseA company owned or controlled by the state that carries out commercial activities, such as running railways, ports, mines or energy networks.
  • public serviceA service provided by the state, or on its behalf, for everyone in society, such as health care, education, transport or rubbish collection; also the work of people employed by the state.
  • public spendingMoney spent by the government and other public bodies on services, salaries, investment and benefits; formal texts often call it public expenditure.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Government Structure

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