One of the characteristics of public law includes:

Public law is fundamentally concerned with the relationships between individuals and the government, along with the structure of government itself and its laws. This area of law governs the actions of government agencies and ensures that these actions comply with statutory and constitutional mandates. It encompasses areas such as constitutional law, administrative law, and criminal law. In this context, the correct choice highlights the role of public law in establishing the rights and obligations in the interactions between citizens and the state.

Other options touch on aspects of law but do not capture the core characteristic of public law. Regulating private disputes relates more to private law, which focuses on issues between individuals, such as contracts and torts. Individual interests, while important, also suggest a more private focus that does not encapsulate the regulatory nature of public law involving government entities. Lastly, civil matters refer broadly to private law disputes rather than the public governance and regulation central to public law, which often involves addressing issues that affect society as a whole.