Beschreibung:
<jats:p> The emergence of newly prominent participants (NPPs) in global governance has led to a revival of scholarly interest in the concept of middle powers. Because NPPs do not share the characteristics of “classical” middle powers, analysts have attempted to salvage the concept by adding various qualifiers. In doing so, they have further reduced its analytical utility. The concept of “entrepreneurial” states extracts the valuable components of the literature on middle powers while avoiding the problems arising from the conflation of two elements of behaviour—strategic and purposive. Entrepreneurial states are countries that seek to gain the support of others in pursuit of their perceived interests in the international system. They may be supporters of the current system, or seek to change it fundamentally. We investigate what attributes are necessary for states to behave in an entrepreneurial manner through studies of both successful and failed attempts at policy entrepreneurship. </jats:p>