Vannevar Bush: A Public Sector Entrepreneur

In this monograph, I define public sector entrepreneurship in terms of innovative public policy initiatives that generate greater economic prosperity by transforming a status quo economic environment into one that is more conducive to economic units engaging in creative activities in the face of uncertainty. Using that definition, I propose that Vannevar Bush is a quintessential example of a public sector entrepreneur. I then propose that the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 is an innovative public policy initiative that has ingredients of Bush's philosophy about the role of government in technological advancement. Using Bush and the Bayh-Dole Act as examples of public sector entrepreneurship, I conclude the monograph with framework that might serve as a unifying taxonomy for interpreting future research on public sector entrepreneurship.