Public Service Models: A Systematic Literature Review and Synthesis

During the last decades, public authorities worldwide have invested heavily in electronic public services (PSs). This includes efforts for publishing information about PSs and for providing online PSs. Each of these efforts is based on an underlying PS Model, i.e., a data model developed for describing and/or developing PSs. Although many PS models exist, none has been universally accepted. This resulted in a fragmented landscape where resources are wasted, economies of scale cannot be achieved, and interoperability is hampered. Recently, the European Union (EU) launched the Core Public Service Vocabulary-Application Profile (CPSV-AP) as a reference PS model. However, CPSV-AP has not been thoroughly evaluated yet for comprehensiveness and compliance with EU policies. The aim of this work is to identify and analyze in a systematic way existing PS models and compare them with CPSV-AP. We conclude that CPSV-AP is comprehensive but can be further enriched with concepts from other PS models. We also provide evidence that the proposed enriched CPSV-AP better supports EU policies. Finally, we present a proof-of-concept pilot of the enriched model using linked data to demonstrate its technical feasibility and added value. Researchers, policy makers and practitioners could use the enriched model for conceptualizing and implementing electronic PSs.