Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Public Sector

Abstract As communities worldwide grapple with wicked problems ranging from environmental challenges to economic crises to public safety, some believe that only private business holds the solutions with new ideas. However, this book argues that the way forward will prove daunting without activating entrepreneurship and innovation in the public sector. The authors first debunk a common myth that government cannot be innovative or entrepreneurial by exploring public innovations from a historical view. The book then explores the modern-day digital frontier for public innovation across the globe with real world examples and the various methods of collaborative governance being used with private companies, nonprofits, and most importantly, through partnerships with everyday citizens that emphasize grassroots democratic participation. As public innovations are mapped out, the authors also take a critical view examining the dark side of public innovation, or cases when public innovation did not go as planned. Inspired by effective entrepreneurial ecosystems such as Silicon Valley, this book then proposes a public innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem, highlighting key ingredients and approaches that enable successful public innovations. More importantly, the authors recognize that a main driving force of public innovation is public entrepreneurs, and they lay out actionable strategies for the public sector to turn government employees to public entrepreneurs. The book concludes with careful discussions on the challenges and future opportunities with contemporary topics including AI, blockchain, and more that lie with public innovation and entrepreneurship, while suggesting an agenda for future research in this field.