What is a public service?

Commonly Used Public Services

Public service is defined as a service provided by the government to the public either directly or through the public sector organizations. These are public goods in some cases that are provided to the public (Denhardt & Denhardt, 2007). In most of the cases, public services are services in real sense that serve the citizens. Most people use different public services on a daily basis to carry out the routine activities in an effective and easy manner such as,

Transportation: Transportation service like buses, tempo etc. are also used on a daily basis.

Telecommunication: It is an important public service that I use on a daily basis. For example telephone booths.

There are certain specific services that can be only delivered through the public sector. As these services are not as steadily available to the common through the private sector, so to help the needy, it is essential to deliver these services through the public sector (Wimmer, 2004). These services are as follows:

Volunteer fire department: Volunteer fire department related services can be only delivered through the public sector rather than the private sector. As the volunteer fire services are free of cost and this can be only done by the public sector because taxes are used to pay for them. Private sector is profit oriented, so it is not possible to deliver the volunteer fire services through this sector to the public.

Free Ambulance services: It is another service that can be only delivered through the public sector. Ambulance service is an essential service that can matter a lot in the life protecting event of a needy, so this is the social help that can be only provided through the public sector to the people (Denhardt & Denhardt, 2007). It is not possible for the poor people to avail this service, so to help them this service is provisioned under the public services.

Free health services: Free health services can be only delivered through the public sector. Poor people need free health services that are not possible to be delivered through the private sector.

Safety and security: Safety and security to the people can be only delivered through the public sector like safety departments and institutions.

References

Denhardt, J.V., & Denhardt, R.B. (2007). The new public service: serving, not steering. M.E. Sharpe.

Wimmer, M.A. (2004). Knowledge management in electronic government: 5th IFIP International Working Conference, KMGov 2004, Krems, Austria, May 17–19, 2004 : proceedings. Springer.

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