This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Abstract. In this paper we explore the potential role of entrepreneurship in public sector organisations. At first, we present a review of the entrepreneurship theme in the political science and public management research streams, comparing these ideas with the mainstream business literature on entrepreneurship. Thereafter, we illustrate empirically how Stevenson's classical framework of entrepreneurship can be applied in a European local government context to explain the recent initiatives to compete for and utilise European Union structural funds. The empirical basis of the study is comprised of ten in-depth case studies of local government organisations, five in the UK and five in Italy. Finally, we propose five distinct types of entrepreneurial agents in the public sector: professional politician, spin-off creator, business entrepreneur in politics, career-driven public officer and politically ambitious public officer.
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