• Business
  • Finance
  • Banking
  • Education
  • General
  • Law
  • Science
  • IT
  • English

Key Differences

Know the Differences & Comparisons

Difference Between Public and Private Administration

public vs private administrationAdministration can be viewed as the act of effectively managing the affairs of a business organisation or state. It implies the optimum use of people, information and other resources of the organisation, in the attainment of the ultimate goal of the company. The administration can be done either by public officials or private individuals. Public administration is a branch of economics that works with service motive. On the other end, private administration works with business intuition.

The public administration differs from the private administration, in three important ways, i.e. the political character, accountability and scope of their activities. Here an article is presented to help you understand the meaning and differences between public and private administration.

Content: Public Administration Vs Private Administration

  1. Comparison Chart
  2. Definition
  3. Key Differences
  4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Basis for ComparisonPublic AdministrationPrivate Administration
MeaningPublic administration refers to orderly managing the resources, to achieve the purposes established by the government.Private administration is the operation, management and organization of the affairs of the business enterprise.
What is it?It is a political process.It is a business activity.
OperationIn governmental set upIn non-governmental set up
ApproachBureaucraticEgalitarian
Decision makingPluralisticMonopolistic
RevenueTaxes, fees, duties, etc.Profits
AccountabilityAccountable to general publicAccountable to the owners
OrientationWelfare orientedProfit oriented

Definition of Public Administration

Public Administration is a field of study that is concerned with the systematic application of public policies and programmes formulated by the state. It relates to the administrative functions carried out by the government. It focuses on providing services to the general public, to ensure a good and safe life to people.

It is both a discipline as well as an activity. While as a discipline, it covers all the subjects, i.e. budgeting, planning, organising, controlling, reporting, directing, staffing, etc. As an activity, it performs services like welfare services, social security services, management of government undertaking, regulation of private enterprises, and so on.

In short, public administration is a non-political public bureaucracy that operates within a legal framework. It deals with the objectives of the government, the public interest and laws. All the branches of the government, i.e. executive, legislative and judicial, as well as their relationship with each other, are covered in the public administration. It works on the principles of uniformity, external financial control and service motive.

Definition of Private Administration

Private Administration is defined as management and organisation of private business enterprises. It is an administrative function carried out by the private individuals or a group, to earn a profit. It is a business activity which is non-political in nature. It involves an array of activities like planning, organising, controlling, coordinating and implementation of policies and programs, performed by the management of the organisation.

It works for the economic benefit of the organisation, taking into account the interest of employees and clients or partners as well of the concerned organisation.

Key Differences Between Public and Private Administration

The important points of difference between public and private administration are given below:

  1. The systematic and well-planned management of the affairs of the state to achieve the purposes established by the government is known as Public Administration. The term private administration refers to the operation, management, and organisation of the affairs of the business enterprise.
  2. Public Administration is a political process. On the other hand, the private administration is a business activity.
  3. Public administration takes place in governmental setup, whereas private administration operates in the structure other than the governmental setup.
  4. Public administration follows a bureaucratic approach, while the private administration has an egalitarian approach.
  5. Decision making in public administration is pluralistic, but in private administration, there is monopolistic decisions are taken.
  6. In public administration, the revenue is generated from taxes, fees, duties, penalties and other dues paid by the general public. As opposed to private administration, where profits from operating activities are the major source of revenue.
  7. When it comes to accountability, public officials are accountable to the general public. Unlike, private administration where the employees are accountable to the owners.
  8. Public administration is welfare oriented; it works with service motive. Conversely, the private administration is profit oriented.

Conclusion

Public administration runs in a governmental setting, and that is why it is also known as government administration. On the contrary, the private administration is a business process, hence considered as business administration. Both of them play a crucial role in contributing towards the development of the society in different ways. Moreover, the measurement of performance, progress and results thereof, can be done using different methods.

You Might Also Like:

public sector and private sector banksDifference Between Public Sector and Private Sector Banks Public Vs Private SectorDifference Between Public Sector and Private Sector public vs private financeDifference Between Private Finance and Public Finance Management Vs AdministrationDifference Between Management and Administration Difference Between Private Limited and Public Limited Company marketing vs prDifference Between Public Relations (PR) and Marketing

Comments

  1. Phillip Malaya says

    October 30, 2018 at 12:58 am

    It’s a awesome site,it has almost everything that as a student of development studies I am enjoying it.Is it downloadable?

    Reply
    • Bernard says

      October 3, 2019 at 4:03 am

      The site is cool I enjoyed it

      Reply
  2. WILLY K CHEMELIL says

    November 12, 2018 at 2:00 pm

    I like the site for one thing. Brevity. Brief and precise to the point.

    Reply
  3. Makumbi leonard says

    May 25, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    This site is valuable

    Reply
  4. Alice says

    September 8, 2021 at 8:11 pm

    I like this site’s brief and straight to the point.

    Reply
  5. Jemila says

    December 7, 2021 at 4:00 pm

    Is really helpful

    Reply
  6. Aloma says

    January 15, 2022 at 7:46 pm

    Thanks

    Reply
  7. Abdul Kadri Abdallah says

    May 12, 2022 at 8:38 pm

    Very helpful, thanks

    Reply
  8. Ophelia Eddie says

    May 16, 2022 at 5:18 am

    The site is very helpful . Approaches are very brief but meaninful and easy to understand.

    Reply
  9. jane deus says

    June 8, 2022 at 12:37 pm

    very fantastic and helpful thanks

    Reply
  10. HASSAN HACHE says

    September 4, 2022 at 1:12 am

    i found it educative and resourceful.

    Reply
  11. HASSAN HACHE says

    September 4, 2022 at 1:13 am

    keep it up

    Reply
  12. Aromo Brenda says

    September 25, 2022 at 1:21 am

    The site is marvellous, all the points are straight forward and clear. Thanks a lot

    Reply
  13. Jasidur rahman says

    October 12, 2022 at 11:14 am

    thank you very much….
    I understand all the objective in such a manner that I can write In exam hall
    once again I appreciate my heartfelt thanks to the site …..🍂🍂♥️♥️♥️
    lots of love from assam..

    Reply
  14. Noah says

    November 25, 2022 at 3:51 am

    This site is really really good

    Reply
  15. Precious Hachambwa says

    December 5, 2022 at 3:11 am

    Thank you 💕 for the information chilimbana local government training institute. Student

    Reply
  16. Retik Mech says

    July 12, 2023 at 11:31 am

    Thanks, it was really helpful😊✨

    Reply
  17. Retik Mech says

    July 12, 2023 at 11:31 am

    Helpful indeed😊✨

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top 5 Differences

  • Difference Between PERT and CPM
  • Difference Between Micro and Macro Economics
  • Difference Between Developed Countries and Developing Countries
  • Difference Between Management and Administration
  • Difference Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research



New Additions

  • Difference Between Deforestation, Reforestation and Afforestation
  • Difference Between Race and Ethnicity
  • Difference Between Customer Service and Customer Experience
  • Difference Between Human Capital and Human Development
  • Difference Between Systems Approach and Contingency Approach
  • Difference Between Industrial Relations and Employee Relations
  • Difference Between Introduction and Executive Summary
  • Difference Between Programmed and Non-programmed Decisions
  • Difference Between Depreciation and Devaluation of Currency
  • Difference Between Consumer Market and Business Market

Categories

  • Banking
  • Business
  • Education
  • English
  • Finance
  • General
  • IT
  • Law
  • Science
fb-follow youtube follow

Copyright © 2025 · Key Differences · Contact Us · About Us · Privacy