Can You Be An Entrepreneur in Government?

In an address to the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, Volcker Alliance President Shelley Metzenbaum encouraged students to become public sector entrepreneurs to improve the quality of people’s lives and the world. Drawing on real-life success stories from the U.S. and abroad, Dr. Metzenbaum outlined how to appreciate the value of adopting a specific approach to the way government works – an outcomes-focused, data-informed, and transparent way of doing business.

“Be clear about what it is you are trying to accomplish,” she said. “Articulate objectives in a way that means something to the public; figure out how to gauge progress on your goals; use data to find ways to do better; and communicate goals, progress, problems, strategies, and why those strategies were chosen in ways that not only build confidence in government but also enlist intelligence and assistance across and beyond government to accelerate progress on goals.”