We the Possibility

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Public entrepreneurship is a viable concept, as demonstrated by Mitchell Weiss during his tenure as a public official. Faced with the belief that government is too large and bureaucratic to innovate, Weiss and his colleagues responded to the Boston Marathon bombings with creative support for survivors. This entrepreneurial spirit is increasingly transforming how the public sector addresses significant challenges. In this enlightening book, Weiss, now a Harvard Business School professor, advocates for a shift from "Probability Government," which emphasizes performance management and adherence to "best" practices, to "Possibility Government." This approach encourages public leadership that embraces imagination and riskier initiatives. The book is divided into three sections: envisioning government that can imagine solutions with citizens, experimenting with new approaches to public problems, and scaling innovations through platform techniques to rejuvenate democracy. Weiss illustrates these principles with timely examples, including a heroin hackathon in Cincinnati, blockchain experiments in Tbilisi, and U.S. Special Operations Command's hoverboard prototype for pirate pursuits. At a pivotal moment for government’s societal role, this work offers inspiration and a constructive model for future progress.