Running a business is not the same as running a government.

because: businesses are oriented towards those who can pay, but governments have a responsibility to take care of the poor as well
- but: many businesses have a Corporate Social Responsibility policy whose aim is to give back to the communities they serve
but: both can borrow capital to finance their agenda
but: both business and government have a goal to generate revenue from their respective activities
- but: the goal of government activities sometimes cannot be put into monetary terms
  - because: a better quality of life with more education, more health care, more security etc. is not easily quantifiable
- because: both provide products/ services in return for consumers'/ taxpayers' money
  - but: public services are usually not for profit
because: the risks taken by businesses are not the same as those taken by governments
- because: in the worst scenario, a business can go bankrupt, while a government loses credibility
  - but: countries can go bankrupt
    - because: example: Iceland in the 2008 economic crisis (Pfanner (2006) )
    - because: example: economic reasons were a main cause of the fall of the USSR (Smith (2008) )
because: a government is a much more complex organization than a business
- because: it has to form domestic and foreign policies, whereas a business only deals with business practices
  - but: multinational companies deal with a number of governments

Pfanner, E. (2006). Iceland is all but officially bankrupt. In The International Herald Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2008 from http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/09/business/icebank.php (http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/09/business/icebank.php)

Smith, P. (2008). The Demise of the Soviet Union. Retreived October 19, 2008 from http://www.uniquelyukraine.com/complete_soviet_fall_paper.htm (http://www.uniquelyukraine.com/complete_soviet_fall_paper.htm)