Entrepreneurship in public administration and public policy programs in Germany and the United States

Abstract

The following contribution hypothesizes that it is crucial for future professionals in public administrations and organizations to be familiar with the concepts, tools, and techniques of policy, public, and social entrepreneurship to address societal, environmental, health, and wicked problems in an innovative and sustainable way. Attention is drawn to the importance of entrepreneurship as an essential asset and feature of public administration and public policy education at higher educational institutions in Germany and the United States. The paper aims at filling a research gap because knowledge about the interrelationships between entrepreneurship and public administration and public policy education is still underdeveloped. Emphasis is put on the discussion why entrepreneurship should be incorporated in curricula and how study programs have been designed or reformed, while placing emphasis on entrepreneurship in meeting current and complex challenges in the public sector. Findings from a systematic online assessment are presented which show whether and how policy, public and social entrepreneurship are taught as an integral element of current governance and public policy study programs and what difference it makes teaching and learning wise. The findings reflect a high demand for entrepreneurship education by public administration and public policy students, on the one hand, and a low incorporation in curricula, on the other hand. Two case studies from Germany and the United States are presented which serve as good practice examples on how to transfer public, policy, and social entrepreneurship into curricula.

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