How are the public and private sectors similar?

Answer 1

There are very few similarities.

The public sector and the private sector are similar in the fact that they both employ people.

They are different, by design, in order to prevent dictatorships and to provide freedom to be creative.

Example:

In the private sector, the people are allowed to do anything they want to do, UNLESS there is a law prohibiting that action. Example: Speed limits restrict, zoning laws restrict, whistling down the street is not restricted. There are very few restrictions aside from the ones designed for Health and Safety.

In the public sector, there must be a law that allows the action. That is known as 'enabling legislation'. Example: stopping a driver of a vehicle for a traffic violation, their is a law allowing that.

The Public sector employees must, when asked, provide the law (code section) that gave them the authority to make their demand on a citizen/resident.

Oftentimes the private sector believes that the public sector is slow in its actions, and to some extent that is exactly correct because when government makes a new law or enforces an existing one, MANY people are affected, therefore it must move slowly, cautiously, and consider all of the impacts before a change occurs. To act in haste could be catastrophic to the private sector.