From Rowing to Serving: Analyzing Theoretical Approaches in the Formation of the Entrepreneurial State Theory

Document Type : Article extracted from the research project

Author

Department of Management Science, Azadshahr Faculty of Humanities, Gonbad Kavous University, Gonbad Kavous, Iran.

Abstract

Context and Purpose: This study aims to examine entrepreneurship theories in government through the lens of different paradigms of public administration. The main research question is: What is the position of entrepreneurship in various governance paradigms, and what are its characteristics, philosophical foundations, and key concepts within each school of public administration?
Methodology: This research is of a qualitative nature and uses document analysis and the Krippenndorff analysis process, which involves five steps, to examine the concepts and studies related to entrepreneurship in government and governance systems. The analysis was then conducted using various reasoning methods, and the results were obtained.
Findings: The roles and functions of entrepreneurship vary across different paradigms of public administration. In the traditional public administration paradigm, entrepreneurship holds the least role and position (public administration as rowing). In the new public administration paradigm, citizens are seen as clients of the government system, and the main idea is profit and benefit (public administration as steering and piloting). In the new public service paradigm, people are considered the primary owners of public administration, and the state's efforts are focused on creating discourse around shared values, negotiating and exchanging benefits between citizens and social groups, and providing services with maximum satisfaction to citizens who are informed and intelligent (public administration as service provision).
Conclusion: The results indicate that the ideal approach in public administration is the new public service paradigm, in which entrepreneurship occurs through citizen participation. The governance system is accountable to societal norms and citizens' interests, and nonprofit structures are created. In this paradigm, entrepreneurship addresses both economic and social aspects, and governance is accountable to the entire society (citizens), not just the portion of society that are clients of government services.

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References

منابع
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Journal of Comparative Public Administration
Volume 4, Issue 2
September 2026
Pages 94-122

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  • Receive Date: 05 November 2025
  • Revise Date: 23 February 2026
  • Accept Date: 26 April 2026

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