In search of the public sector entrepreneur.

?This collection of papers and cases seeks to provide a focussed picture of a programme of research into an area of management activity which had previously been ignored by academia -public sector entrepreneurship. Hence, they not only add significantly to the entrepreneurship literature, but also open up an area of research not hitherto explored.Entrepreneurship itself has been debated from the stand points of economics, psychology, sociology and behaviourial science since its definition by Richard Cantillon in 1734. The entrepreneurship literature base is broad, but centred firmly around the small business, with only occasional forays into the not-for-profit sector and then only where the activity, in all senses but that of creating a shareholder profit, emulates that of the small business. The collection is divided into five main areas: first, a critical appraisal of the collection providing the strategy and methodology of research; next, two papers relating particularly to the initial surveys undertaken in the school and health sectors, These papers are particularly important because, through unadulterated survey, they provide the first indication that the sectors themselves recognise the existence of entrepreneurs within their midst. The next grouping develops the information gained from the surveys and adds to it much richer research case material. Possible externalities in the form of community entrepreneurship are also explored. The next section contains examples of published case studies in each of the public sector areas within the research strategy area. The study culminates in a paper advancing the first published definition of the Public Sector Entrepreneur. The final section includes a paper and conclusion providing an indication of the ongoing research direction and a move towards a more deductive perspective. The collection also provides a description of the changes which have occurred in the public sector relevant to the arguments and analysis within each paper. Similarly, each paper provides a synopsis of the relevant literature to enable the analysis and discussion of the research activity reported.