Public Enterprise: A Systematic Literature Review

Public enterprises, also known as government-owned corporations or state-owned enterprises, are companies with government ownership, control, or partial ownership in sectors such as energy, telecommunications, healthcare, and transportation.Their primary goals are to serve the public's basic needs, advance economic growth, or protect national interests.Public enterprises can collaborate with privately held businesses or face competition.The percentage of public enterprises varies across nations, but they play significant roles in both liberal and private enterprise-oriented systems.Public enterprises are becoming increasingly important due to the state's increasing functions and philosophy, moving from laissez-faire to social welfare initiatives.The idea that the state should hold the majority of natural resources and capital-intensive sectors has gained widespread acceptance in modern states.Public businesses are considered essential tools for achieving social and economic growth, fostering technical innovation, and supporting private sector economic development.This paper presents a Systematic Literature Review of the current body of research using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) model.The study further investigates the research gaps (RG), formulates research questions (RQ), and makes an RG-RQ analysis.The study also explores public choice theory and the property rights paradigm, contributing to a better understanding of public enterprises' operations.