A new perspective on local political entrepreneurship: Evidence from Portugal

Despite the important existing contributions on public and political entrepreneurship, research on these topics is still scarce, particularly at the empirical level. Studies on political entrepreneurship have usually focused on the biography of entrepreneurial leaders and the analysis of case studies. Thus, a parameterisation of the variables and relationships that permit quantitative empirical research is in demand. The present study adds to the empirical literature on public and political entrepreneurship by proposing to examine and intersect several dimensions of political entrepreneurship at the local level: funds, activities, infrastructure, and global. Based on responses gathered from 108 Portuguese municipalities, we found that both individual – gender, previous occupational status, age, and managerial competencies of the mayor – and contextual conditions – accessibilities, educational endowments, and business structure of the municipalities, namely the share of medium and large firms – are key determinants of local political entrepreneurship.