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Public sector entrepreneurship: an integrative review

Author

Listed:
  • Roberto Vivona

    (Nord University Business School)

  • Tommy H. Clausen

    (Nord University Business School)

  • Petter Gullmark

    (UiT)

  • Emre Cinar

    (University of Portsmouth)

  • Mehmet Akif Demircioglu

    (Carleton University)

Abstract

Public sector entrepreneurship (PSE) has emerged as a vital field, exploring how public servants leverage opportunities to create public value amidst unprecedented and unpredictable challenges in governance. This article navigates the expansive landscape of PSE literature, consolidating diverse theoretical perspectives and fragmented knowledge into a cohesive framework. Through an integrative and systematic review of 100 articles, we identify PSE as a multi-level phenomenon characterized by a context-dependent combination of proactivity, innovation, and risk-taking, that serves to drive change and renewal, promote resilient organizations, and resourcefully exploit opportunities for public value creation, with the ultimate aim of achieving positive societal and environmental outcomes. By proposing an analytical framework that embraces the fluid nature of PSE and integrating diverse perspectives, this study enriches our understanding of the intersection between entrepreneurship and public administration. It advocates for a nuanced, sector-specific approach to PSE, laying a solid foundation for further advancements in the field.

Suggested Citation

  • Roberto Vivona & Tommy H. Clausen & Petter Gullmark & Emre Cinar & Mehmet Akif Demircioglu, 2025. "Public sector entrepreneurship: an integrative review," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 1791-1815, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:sbusec:v:64:y:2025:i:4:d:10.1007_s11187-024-00965-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s11187-024-00965-5
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public sector entrepreneurship; Government entrepreneurship; Public sector innovation; Integrative review; Systematic review; Innovation policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • L32 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Public Enterprises; Public-Private Enterprises
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy

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