Mostly business models are discussed in relation to private firms (and electronic business), but can business models be useful for public firms (and electronic government)?
I think so. While there are large differences between public and private firms, they both have to deliver services to citizens or customers in an effective and efficient manner.
For (new) government services it is also relevant to discuss who the target users and,for example, differentiate between individuals/families and businesses. These services also require discussing the benefits of the services for the users, even when the services are obligatory. Moreover, for the delivery of government services the cooperation between different public organizations is also an important issue. This gets even more complicated when it involves public-private cooperation. Finally, while revenue models are different for government services, it is still important to get value for money.
