A focus group discussion approach to the comparative analysis of private and public sector enterprises in Nigeria

Abstract

State owned enterprises have in recent years presented an acute set of institutional problems compared with their counterparts in the private sector problems. Most often they have large operating deficits and impose a heavy burden on the public budget. Although experience with public enterprises varies from country to country, in many developing countries, the responsibility for devising and implementing the policy reforms of public services rests with a small group of political officers who are hardly in a position to supervise the programmes despite the historical objective of these enterprises which includes national security and public interest. This paper seeks to determine the factors responsible for the differences in performance of the public and private enterprises, as perceived and identified by the ownership, management and employees of both private and public sector enterprises in selected states in Nigeria.