definition
strict definition
public authority
A governmental body organized to act in a company-like role, often providing a particular public service.
A public authority is any governmental body which is configured to act in a role similar to a company, often in providing a specific public service to a special class of users.
The body remains governmental even when it operates a service in a manner comparable to a company. Its public character concerns who constitutes the body, while its service or project work describes what it does.
A private company performing a government contract is different from the governmental body itself. Executive or legislative powers alone do not express the company-like role specified here.