Public entrepreneurialism and democratic values: how might local public leaders pursue successful economic development? Case-studies from Indonesian local government

This thesis focuses on local economic development in developing countries and, on the basis of research conducted in Indonesia, it examines how local governments balance ‘public entrepreneurialism’ with ‘democratic values’. Through four case studies, the thesis explores how the values of innovation and development are matched by concern for democratic accountability and respect for local cultures and traditions. The case-studies provide complementary and contrasting perspectives on local leadership and its impacts on local economic development, focusing respectively on development of the informal economy, exploitation of the potential of technology and the creative industries, modernisation of agriculture, and the securing of increased foreign investment. The key finding from these case-studies is that effective leadership in local economic development does indeed call for the spirit of entrepreneurialism and innovation to be balanced by sensitivity towards local democratic values and principles. However, rather than it being necessary for the formal head of the local government personally to provide the required leadership in both respects, it may equally be feasible for two (or more) different individuals within the hierarchy of the organisation and with respective strengths in entrepreneurialism and democratic values to work together to ensure that the desired balance is indeed achieved