The public sector represents a complex of economic objects, wholly or partially belonging to the central and local state bodies. The public sector existed in many countries long before development of capitalism, including mail, partially transport service, manufacturing of the weapon etc. On a measure forming systems of state regulation of economy the state built, redeemed at the private proprietors economic objects, mainly in sphere of an infrastructure, heavy industry, which functioning was always favourably and it is necessary for a national economy, but not always it is favourable from the point of view of the private capital.

In one country the public sector has arisen basically as a result of nationalisation of a number of branches and enterprises (in France, Italy, Great Britain, Austria), in others the state built or got ruined economic objects (in USA, Sweden, Japan). In the first group of the countries the share of public sector in national riches is higher, than in second.

Significant parts of public sector are objects of an infrastructure, in the majority unprofitable. Other part - the state enterprises in raw and power branches, where are required the large investments, and turnover of the capital slow. Profitability of state-owned firms, as a rule, below, than private. A part of public sector is packages of the actions of the mixed private-state companies.

The existence in conditions of a market economy of sectors, which in the activity is guided by principles a little bit distinguished from principles of private concerns, allows using public sector for the decision of nation-wide economic tasks, increasing money of a private enterprise.

The exclusive profit, and frequently and profit in general, is not the paramount purpose of activity of public sector in an infrastructure, power, raw branches, НИОКР, in preparation and retraining of the staff, in the field of protection of an environment, as high profits nobody requires of these spheres, and the losses become covered from the budget. Therefore public sector has become the supplier of cheap services (in particular, transport, mail-telegraphic), electric power and raw material, reducing, thus, costs in private sector.

The public sector as a means of state regulation of economy is actively used. So, in conditions of deterioration of a conjuncture, the depressions or crisis, when the private capital investments are reduced, investment in public sector, as a rule, grow. Thus, the governmental bodies aspire to counteract recession of manufacture and growth of unemployment. The public sector plays an appreciable role in state structural politics. The state creates new objects or expands and reconstructs old in those spheres of activity, branches or regions, where the private capital connected is not enough. So, the public sector plays a huge role in economy, preparation and retraining of the staff. The state-owned firms are engaged also in foreign trade, export of the capital abroad, frequently acting by the pioneers in introduction of the national capital in any country (for example, participation of the German concern “ Volkswagen ”, federal taking place in property federal and ground governments, in motor industry of Czech).

In the whole public sector serves addition of a private enterprise there and such measure, where and as far as the motivation for the private capital appears insufficient. In result the public sector serves to increase of efficiency of a national economy as a whole and is one of tools of redistribution of a total internal product (the complete internal product is a cumulative cost of production of sphere of material manufacture and spheres of services, irrespective of a national accessory of the enterprises located in territory of the given country).

The sizes of public sector, its share in national economy, change not only as a result of new construction and purchase, but also as a consequence of a privatisation - sale profitable, reconstructed objects of public sector to the private capital. In 80-th and 90-th years this tendency appreciably has amplified.

Alongside with the listed tools of state regulation of economy having internal economy the orientation, an arsenal of means of the external economic regulation exists.

Practically all levers of influence on process of reproduction inside the country render essential influence on foreign economic relations: change of the registration rate, taxation new privileges and grants on the investment in a fixed capital etc.

However there are also special tools of direct influence on economic communications with abroad. It is, first of all, a measure of stimulation of export of goods, services, capitals, scientific and technical and administrative experience: crediting of export, warranting of the export credits and investments abroad, introduction or cancellation of quantitative restrictions, change of the duty in foreign trade; measures on attraction or restriction of access of the foreign capital in a national economy, change of conditions of its functioning, qualitative selection (from the point of view of a branch orientation and technological level) acting from abroad capital, attraction in the country of a foreign labour, participation in the international economic organisations, integration state associations.

The separate tools of state economic politics can be used in the various purposes, in various combinations and with different intensity. Depending on character of the purposes the place of that or other tool in an arsenal of means of state regulation of economy in the concrete period will vary.

The maximum form of state regulation of economy is the state economic programming. Its task - complex use in the global purposes of all elements of state regulation of economy.

In process of complication of tasks on regulation of economy of government of steel to formulate short-term, intermediate term and long-term tasks to determine the order of their decision and bodies responsible for performance of these decisions, to allocate necessary means and to determine the order of financing.

Objects of such target programs usually are the branches (in particular, agriculture); regions; social sphere (for example, social economic adaptation settlers, maintenance by their work and habitation); various directions of scientific researches.

The programs are usual and extreme. The usual intermediate term programs are made, as a rule, for five years with annual updating and prolongation for one year (sliding programming). The extreme programs are developed in critical situations, for example, in conditions of crisis, mass unemployment dangerous inflation; they, as a rule, short-term. In toolkits of their realisation the appreciable place is occupied with means of administrative regulation.

The level of development of state programming in the separate countries is various. Practically in all countries of market economy the target programs are carried out. One of oldest - regional-power target program on development of pool of the river Tennessee in USA, program of development of nuclear power in France, economic development of the south of Italy.

The national extreme programs on restoration of economy of Southern Korea after war, on structural reorganisation and privatisation of new grounds (East Germany) after connection of GDR to Germany are known.

In a citadel of a market economy - USA - the national programming is not present, but widely target and extreme programs are applied. Obviously, the distinctions in a degree of development of programming in the separate countries depend on character and scales of tasks, which economic and social situation puts before the state.

The subjects of economic programming - official bodies responsible for drawing up of the programs, their direct realisation and control above them. The programs are developed by a special state body (for example, Commissaries on planning in France), and if it is not present, by the ministries of economy and finance or special ministry system. Thus the ministry of economy, as a rule, prepares the project of the program, formulates hierarchy of the purposes, terms and sequence of realisation of separate measures, names instances which are bearing responsibility for performance. )