We the Possibility: Harnessing Public Entrepreneurship to Solve Our Most Urgent Problems

Rethinking Risk in the Public Sector

Most people expect government to avoid failure. But that instinct, Mitchell Weiss argues, often leads to stagnation when communities need fresh solutions. We the Possibility makes a compelling case for public entrepreneurship: a disciplined approach to generating, testing, and scaling new ideas inside government. It is not about handing public responsibilities to private companies. It is about bringing an entrepreneurial mindset to the work of governing.

Weiss draws on stories from city halls, federal agencies, and international governments to show how public leaders have experimented with new models, learned from small failures, and expanded what works. The book captures both the promise and the practical hurdles of innovation in environments where the cost of failure can be high and politics often punishes risk.

From Probability to Possibility

One of the book’s central distinctions is the shift from “probability government” to “possibility government.” Probability government seeks to predict and control outcomes. Possibility government embraces uncertainty, designs experiments, and treats every initiative as a chance to learn. This is not reckless; it is a structured way to pursue better results when conventional tools fall short.

Across the book, readers see how this shift plays out in real settings—from mayors addressing housing and climate challenges to public officials rethinking service delivery. The examples move beyond theory, showing what it takes to build a culture where calculated risk is accepted and even encouraged.

What Public Entrepreneurship Looks Like in Practice

Weiss offers practical frameworks for leaders who want to move from insight to action. The book examines how to:

• Generate promising ideas from inside and outside government
• Design low-cost pilots that produce real feedback
• Scale successful experiments without losing their flexibility
• Build teams and partnerships that can sustain innovation
• Navigate the political and administrative barriers that often kill new initiatives

Each of these tools is grounded in the realities of public-sector work. The book acknowledges that failure is inevitable and shows how leaders can use it productively rather than hiding from it.

Who This Book Is For

Public-sector executives, city managers, policy advisers, and elected officials will find the material directly relevant to their daily decisions. Civic innovators, nonprofit leaders, and students of public policy will appreciate the blend of analysis and real-world examples. Even citizens who want to understand how government can become more responsive will discover a hopeful and practical perspective.

Rather than presenting innovation as a miracle cure, We the Possibility outlines a realistic path toward a more adaptive and imaginative public sector. It is a book for anyone who believes government still has a vital role to play in solving society’s hardest problems.