Innovation and Implementation in the Public Sector: An Examination of Public Entrepreneurship

Abstract

This article develops an empirical measure of public entrepreneurship and uses it to discover the correlates that distinguish between those participants in a policy domain who are seen as more or less important in the entrepreneurial process. Looking at two rural regions dealing with telemedicine technologies, the authors examine the role of personal attributes and situational attributes in predicting who will emerge as the most mentioned public entrepreneurs on these issues in their community. Status in the local community, membership in the health professions, and strong local focus and ties are the most instrumental variables in distinguishing between those in a policy domain who are more likely to be identified as entrepreneurial. The authors provide an empirical test that can, for the first time, identify in a comparative context the traits that distinguish more entrepreneurial individuals from less entrepreneurial ones (or nonentrepreneurial ones) participating in the same policy domain. Copyright 2008 by The Policy Studies Organization.

Funny Evidence: Female Comics are the New Policy Entrepreneurs

“…Still, definitions of innovative entrepreneurship remain, including the case for public entrepreneurship by Mack et al. (: 235, emphasis added), who identify entrepreneurs as, ‘any elected official, bureaucratic employee, non‐profit manager, or private citizen who is perceived by his/her colleagues and friends to be instrumental in fostering innovative change to modify the way that public entities operate.’ Indeed, while entrepreneurs may well have innovative ideas, the issue at hand is whether entrepreneurship requires it. We argue that this is not a necessary feature.…”

Toward a theory of public entrepreneurship

“…Most of the political entrepreneurship literature takes a Schumpeterian perspective, focusing on creative political innovations, which depend crucially on windows of opportunity (Kingdon, 1995;Mintrom, 2000) for modifymg the way that public entities operate (Kuhnert, 2001;Mack et al, 2008;Oliver and Holzinger, 2008). According to Teske and Schneider, entrepreneurs 'propel dynamic policy change in their community ' (1994: 331).…”

What Drives Entrepreneurial Orientation in the Public Sector? Evidence from Germany's Federal Labor Agency

“…Few studies apply a rigorous approach to conducting case studies (Currie and Procter 2005;Meynhardt and Metelmann 2009;Zerbinati and Souitaris 2005). Those studies that use quantitative data either remain descriptive (Borins 2000;Morris and Jones 1999) or completely neglect middle managers (Kim 2007;Mack, Green, and Vedlitz 2008;Moon 1999;Schneider, Teske, and Mintrom 1995;Teske and Schneider 1994;Wood et al 2008). Overall, there appears to be a general lack of detailed studies and rigorous theory testing in public entrepreneurship research (this interpretation is in line with Zerbinati and Souitaris 2005, 46;Currie et al 2008, 988;Morris and Jones 1999, 87).…”