What Makes Development Entrepreneurship Different?

Development Entrepreneurship has been called a “different” approach to reform.  What makes it different?  

For me there are three core aspects of the DE approach that stand out from traditional development thinking.

The first is about the way reform objectives are selected.  The DE approach picks reform objectives that are technically sound and politically acceptable.  When the most technically sound reform is not politically acceptable, Development Entrepreneurs do not insist on it.  Instead, they are willing to lower their sights, go for the second-best (or third-best, and so on) technical option that is politically feasible.

Second, the DE approach is to work with a team of reformers that have certain characteristics. All team members must have grit.  There has to be a high level of trust among teammates.  Within the team, there is a leader, a technical expert, a political operator, and an insider - although one member may perform more than one role. PhDs and MBAs are not required, but will not be held against team members who have them.

Third is the entrepreneurial process of pursuing reforms.  Relying on entrepreneurial logic instead of straight causal logic, DEs accept that the path to reform may not be direct and straight, but circuitous, with a fair share of turns and cul-de-sacs.  The way is discerned as the reform moves along.  Fortuitous conduction of events are taken advantage of.  Dead-ends are recognised, ideas that have proven to be wrong are let go, and new ideas are generated from failures. OODA all they way to eventual reform.

These three ideas are supported by two others: the use of a specific set of project management tools that are most suited to the DE concepts, and a preference for grants as funding modality.  The core concept of entrepreneurial logic requires much flexibility, and grants are perceived to be more flexible.