This policy paper explores the role of social entrepreneurs as “outside-in” actors in public sector transformation. It argues that, in a period of profound institutional transition, public systems need to learn not only from within formal structures but also from actors operating at their boundaries. The briefing examines how social entrepreneurs generate practice-based learning, test new approaches, and help public institutions adapt to complex challenges such as health inequalities, social fragmentation, and declining trust.
“The decisive governance question is not how tightly performance is controlled, but how deeply institutions are willing to learn from, and respond to, the knowledge generated beyond their boundaries.”
Mark Swift – Founder & CEO, Wellbeing Enterprises CIC
Public sector leaders should recognise, relate to, and resource social entrepreneurs as a vital source of outside-in system capacity. This means creating more porous institutional boundaries, investing in relational learning spaces, and reforming commissioning and governance so that practice-based learning can inform long-term system change.
Meet the author
Mark Swift
Mark Swift is a serial social entrepreneur who has championed community-centred approaches to health and wellbeing for more than two decades. As the Founder and CEO of Wellbeing Enterprises, he has built one of the UK’s leading organisations in this field, pioneering innovative models that empower people and communities to take charge of their own wellbeing.
A recognised thought leader and Ashoka Fellow, Mark’s work sits at the intersection of community power and system change – creating the conditions for citizens to lead, shape, and sustain thriving communities. He is also a Fellow of the Local Policy Innovation Partnership at City-REDI, University of Birmingham, and of the Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place at the University of Liverpool.