| The term public sector refers to the functioning agencies and units at the federal, state, county, municipal, and local levels of government. The sector includes all agencies, government corporations, the military, and departments, agencies, and miscellaneous units that perform some form of public service. They range in size from the largest federal department down to the smallest special district, such as a mosquito abatement district or a community library district. For this text, the public sector does not include those organizations considered to be nonprofit organizations (NPOs), although many similar management principles apply to both NPOs and government. All business enterprises, regardless of their form, their structure, or the focus of their activities, constitute the profit-centered portion of the economy, and are part of the private sector. As such, they are not a major concern in this text. |
