Public entrepreneurship: A recipe for improved service delivery in South Africa’s public sector

Abstract

Numerous reasons contribute to the public sector's substandard performance, the most significant of which are a lack of innovation and accountability. Entrepreneurship, however, has been celebrated for filling this gap and beyond. Thus, it is reasonable to wonder whether instilling an entrepreneurial mindset among public sector employees will improve public sector performance. This paper aims to evaluate the potential role of public entrepreneurship in improving public sector service delivery in South Africa, with special emphasis on showing the practicability of public entrepreneurship despite the marked differences between the space and the private sector where entrepreneurship originates from.

In other words, we are seeking to answer questions such as; is there a scope for public entrepreneurship in South Africa? Who are public entrepreneurs, and what do they do in public enterprises or institutions? What are the types of entrepreneurial skills and strategies offered by public entrepreneurs in South Africa? These are some of the essential questions this paper tried to answer through a rigorous review of public entrepreneurship and exploration of a case study. We concluded and showed that public entrepreneurship is realisable with the right kind of leadership, institutional-wide entrepreneurial orientation and, of course, a bit of managerial flexibility. We went on to assert that entrepreneurship is innovation and not necessarily new venture creation. This is the primary component that is coveted in public entrepreneurship. However, there is vast places for other elements of entrepreneurship in the public sector.