Government operations
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This article aims to describe the financial expenditure associated with the operations and processes of world governments of all levels.
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[edit] Size of economic footprint
The scale to which government should exist and operate in the world is a matter of debate. Government spending in developed countries varies considerably but generally makes up between about 30% and 70% of their GDP. One major exception is the United States, where central government spending takes up less than 20% of GDP.[citation needed]
[edit] Services
Government agencies may produce services like:
- Communications
- Education (e.g. community college)
- Emergency services
- Entertainment (e.g. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
- Entitlements
- Financial services
- Financing
- Fire fighting
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Law
- Law enforcement
- Police
- Postal service
- Transport (e.g. government transportation)
[edit] Goods
Government agencies may produce goods like:
- Coal
- Electrical infrastructure
- Oil (e.g. Pemex)
- Roads, bridges, tunnels
- Sewers
- Steel
- Water infrastructure
[edit] Local government
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The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
At the level of local government, territorial or other authorities may set up government corporations such as "Local Authority Trading Enterprises" (LATEs).
[edit] Commonwealth of Nations
See also: crown corporation, state-owned enterprises of New Zealand
In monarchical commonwealth countries country-wide government corporations often use the style "crown corporation". Notable exceptions include both the state-owned enterprises and the crown entities in New Zealand. Examples of crown corporations include the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Canada and Air Canada before it underwent privatisation. Cabinet ministers (ministers of the crown) often control the shares in such public corporations.
[edit] United Kingdom
[edit] United States
In the United States, businesses that are government owned include Amtrak and the United States Postal Service. Many states have government owned businesses for operations as well. Generally speaking, a statute passed by a legislature specifically sets up a government owned company in order to undertake a specific public purpose with public funds or public property.
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[edit] Privatization
Privatization is the transfer of ownership from the public sector (government) to the private sector (business).
