Roberts: Public Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Abstract

This article presents a conceptualframeworkofpublic entrepreneurship. Public entrepreneurship is defined as the generation ofa novel or innuuative idea and the design and implementation of the innovative idea into publicsector practice. The conceptualfiamework is used to distinguish between public entrepreneurs and other actors in the policy process, and to clarify the differences between policy, political, executive, and bureaucratic entrepreneurs. Taking a functionalist perspective, the article difmentintes between individual and coZkctiue entrepreneurship and ginezates pmpaitims to move us cher to a theory of public entrepreneurship. Copyright 1992 by The Policy Studies Organization.

Entrepreneurship in Peace Operations

“…Despite the multiplicity of definitions in the literature, there is general agreement that those who start up new, innovative organizations in the private sector are business entrepreneurs (Drucker, 2006). Those in the public sector who establish new public organizations are considered to be executive entrepreneurs (Lewis, 1980;Roberts, 1992;Roberts & King, 1996), and those who craft new ideas and implement them as innovative public policy are referred to as policy entrepreneurs (Kingdon, 1984;Roberts, 1992;Roberts & King, 1996).…”

“…The development of the new idea and the association of the idea with some need, problem, or concern mark the first phase of the innovation process, often referred to as initiation or creation (Polsby, 1984;Roberts, 1992;Roberts & King, 1996). Initiation is followed by the design phase that translates the idea into a more concrete and tangible form (such as a prototype, model, or position paper).…”

Public Entrepreneurship as Social Creativity

“…Probing collective entrepreneurship more deeply, we find its expression can take one of two forms: team entrepreneurship or functional entrepreneurship (Roberts, 1992;Roberts and King, 1996). As illustrated in the top diagram in Figure 3, team entrepreneurship occurs when multiple entrepreneurs join forces and work together to push an idea through all phases of the innovation process.…”

“…Although each person is an entrepreneur in his own right, all decide it is more advantageous to pool their resources and act in concert with other entrepreneurs. The following case documents the work of six public entrepreneurs who cooperated through all innovation phases-creation, design, and implementation-and thus offers a good example of team entrepreneurship (Roberts, 1992;Roberts and King, 1996).…”

“…It occurs when experts from different functional areas of expertise coordinate their efforts and resources in order to push a new idea into practice (Roberts, 1992;Roberts and King, 1996). For example, policy intellectuals generate a new policy idea and defend it against alternative definitions and solutions to social problems.…”