Controversies and conceptual development<break/> Examining public entrepreneurship

The role of entrepreneurship in the public services remains controversial. In this article we present an initial framework for understanding public entrepreneurship based on a typology of entrepreneurship and an initial classification of relevant public service processes and outcomes. Each aspect is illustrated by case study evidence taken from the West Midlands Ambulance Service, and is integrated into the theoretical literature on entrepreneurship. When applied to this case, the framework helps to differentiate two types of entrepreneurial action. The first type is conducted away from the core service and is governed by commercial considerations, the second is linked to the core statutory service and is governed by bureaucratic obedience. We argue a feature of public management is the requirement to operate across differing ‘orderings of life’ where contradictory rules apply. The acceptability of entrepreneurship depends on whether managers can recognize and distinguish between the rules governing these spheres.