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"Entrepreneurship " has a positive connotation. The concept of "entrepreneurship" is, however, hard to define, and consequently the " hunt for Entrepreneurs" takes place in a haze (Berglund, 2007). There is no consensus in research on what constitutes entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. Examples of different points of view, include whether or not entrepreneurship is a process or if it is connected to an individual or maybe a collective rather than to one person (Steyart & Landström, 2011). Often, in practice as well as in research, small firm owners and the self-employed are equated with entrepreneurship and consequently, small, new firms are supposed to be more innovative than big, old ones (Blackburn & Kovalainen, 2008). In practice, we know that far from all small firms and small firm owners are entrepreneurial in the established research-definitions of the concept, and that on the other hand, entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship can be found in all kinds of organizations (Hjorth, 2012; Kovalainen & Sundin, 2012). In this article the terms entrepreneurs and small-firm-owners/self-employed/owner-managers will be used as synonyms, as that is how they are used in the empirical material.

This article is about how the international New Public Management (NPM) trend is influencing the cleaning unit and cleaners employed in a Swedish municipality. Before the change, more than 500 cleaners were employed. The municipality wanted former employees to become the providers of the cleaning services. One male manager did so and was welcomed by the leading actors of the municipality. Although the law obliged employees to be transferred to the new provider, they were not. Instead, more than 140 employees, a great majority of them women, established a joint stock company together with the municipality as a temporary co-owner. This company had problems from the very beginning. Both new companies were sold after some years – the man's at a profit and the women's at a loss. This article analyses their story drawing on theories on incentives for entrepreneurship, networks, social capital and gender. The study was conducted for more than 10 years using multiple methods.

This article is based on the studies stemming from the Swedish White paper "Men are always in business !" which deals with the gendered division of power and economic resources. It concerns the retail trade sector and highlights the way in which the enterprise culture influences the relations between women and men in this sector, whether this through strategies for change or in the implementation of equal opportunities measures. We see in particular that while management policy always plays a key role in the process of segregation and hierarchization, decision-making power is relatively spread out among the different levels of the enterprise, and that more or less space is left to individual initiative.

This article contributes to the discussion concerning intra-organisational trust in home care services. The article is based on a study of organisational change and the implementation process for trust-based management in a Swedish municipality. Collection of material involved several organisational levels in the municipality's home care service and consists of individual interviews, group interviews, observations and a document review. The results show that the municipality has addressed common problems in home care services in Sweden, resolving them with specific solutions that are unique to the municipality. Quality assurance is performed by allowing frontline employees to fully utilise their competences. Management, first line management in particular, is characterised by checks instead of controls. This is in line with the idea of intra-organisational trust and is achieved by building trust between employees with different levels of education and occupations in the organisation. This form of intra- organisational trust is labelled inter-occupational trust. The process of implementing trust-based practices in the municipality is characterised by three quality dimensions: continuity, flexibility and time allocation. These dimensions are central aspects of the arguments for a user's perspective on collaboration. An important prerequisite in the municipality studied was that organisational change was followed up with adequate resources in the form of working hours, working conditions, education and training.

Purpose
This paper aims to add to the diversity of gender and entrepreneurship studies by presenting the (lived experience) perspective on the development of research on women as entrepreneurs.


Design/methodology/approach
An essay built on personal reflections on the development of the field since the 1980s.


Findings
Research on entrepreneurship has shifted toward quantitative studies and the paper format, leading to fragmented research. Research on gender shows another trend, where empirical data have become less central – "women" as individuals are to a large extent not discussed. The authors conclude that the field of gender and entrepreneurship, therefore, is a fruitful arena to perform research in as long as the physical women are not neglected.


Originality/value
Building on the lived experience for almost 40 years as researchers of women as entrepreneurs, the perspective contributes to the understanding of the development of the field.

Insatser för att främja kvinnors företagande har genomförts under ett kvarts sekel i Sverige. Är 25 år en kort eller lång tid när det handlar om att förändra attityder och föreställningar om företag och företagare? Vilka förändringar har skett i arbetet med att främja företagande sedan 1990-talet? Vilka myter om kvinnors företagande fanns då och vilka myter finns nu? Och vad behöver hända framöver för att kvinnor och män på sikt ska kunna starta, leda, driva och utveckla företag på lika villkor? Vilka krav ställer det på företagsfrämjandet, politiken och forskningen? Är du intresserad av företagande och företagsfrämjande ska du läsa denna bok, skriven av professorerna Carin Holmquist och Elisabeth Sundin, pionjärer inom forskningen om kvinnors företagande och entreprenörskap.

Purpose – The paper aims to explore the consequences of new public management (NPM) inspired reforms in general and outsourcing of traditional public sector responsibilities in Sweden to private organizations in particular. At centre stage are the roles of entrepreneurs, women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and socially constructed paradigms of gender in this process. The paper's aim is to explore, through a local-level case study, the currently ongoing process of gendering and regendering in a female-dominated sector. This is done by a qualitative real-time study of the introduction of a customer-choice system in elder care in a Swedish municipality. Design/methodology/approach – The formal decision in Spring 2008 to introduce a "customer-choice model" into home-based elderly care in the municipality is the formal starting point of the research. The authors are given full access to all relevant information and informants including all questions and suggestions from the potential suppliers who were applying to be "authorized and certified suppliers". Interviews are the main method but also written material like applications and newspaper articles and "letters to the editor" are studied. Findings – The outcome of the changes are, from the decision-makers point of view, disappointing. The consequences so far of the customer-choice system, that have been examined here, can be labelled increased masculinism or even a masculinization of the elderly care sector. Whether the polarization is a presage of the process to come is too early to tell. If so, the masculinization observed in this paper extends along three dimensions: governing logic, leadership and ownership. These gender consequences are not those expected or intended by the leading local actors. Research limitations/implications – The study is made in an ongoing process. The politicians are making changes aiming at making better working conditions for SMEs and former employees especially women. It is therefore important to follow up what is going to happen in the future. Comparisons with other municipalities and other regimes, nationally and internationally, would also be valuable. Practical implications – In this case, the practical implications are, almost, the same as the research implications. Originality/value – The real-time research design is used focusing on what is happening in practise at the lower organizational levels of an organizational "experiment" of this kind make this paper unusual and valuable both for researchers and practioners. ; Institutional Perspectives on Gender and Entrepreneurship. Guest editors: Helene Ahl and Terese Nelson.

Purpose – The paper aims to explore the consequences of new public management (NPM) inspired reforms in general and outsourcing of traditional public sector responsibilities in Sweden to private organizations in particular. At centre stage are the roles of entrepreneurs, women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and socially constructed paradigms of gender in this process. The paper's aim is to explore, through a local-level case study, the currently ongoing process of gendering and regendering in a female-dominated sector. This is done by a qualitative real-time study of the introduction of a customer-choice system in elder care in a Swedish municipality. Design/methodology/approach – The formal decision in Spring 2008 to introduce a "customer-choice model" into home-based elderly care in the municipality is the formal starting point of the research. The authors are given full access to all relevant information and informants including all questions and suggestions from the potential suppliers who were applying to be "authorized and certified suppliers". Interviews are the main method but also written material like applications and newspaper articles and "letters to the editor" are studied. Findings – The outcome of the changes are, from the decision-makers point of view, disappointing. The consequences so far of the customer-choice system, that have been examined here, can be labelled increased masculinism or even a masculinization of the elderly care sector. Whether the polarization is a presage of the process to come is too early to tell. If so, the masculinization observed in this paper extends along three dimensions: governing logic, leadership and ownership. These gender consequences are not those expected or intended by the leading local actors. Research limitations/implications – The study is made in an ongoing process. The politicians are making changes aiming at making better working conditions for SMEs and former employees especially women. It is therefore important to follow up what is going to happen in the future. Comparisons with other municipalities and other regimes, nationally and internationally, would also be valuable. Practical implications – In this case, the practical implications are, almost, the same as the research implications. Originality/value – The real-time research design is used focusing on what is happening in practise at the lower organizational levels of an organizational "experiment" of this kind make this paper unusual and valuable both for researchers and practioners.

The notion that there is strong connection between the private sector and entrepreneurship has resulted in entrepreneurship in the public sector being neglected. This in turn leads to theoretical, practical and political shortcomings. The role of entrepreneurs as change agents is captured in the concept 'institutional entrepreneurs', but most studies focus on actors on the higher levels. This article sheds light on previously forgotten or ignored entrepreneurial processes, those taking place within the middle levels of the public sector, and which result in institutional change. We elaborate on the characteristics of the entrepreneurial processes and their prerequisites. The framework draws on the tension between entrepreneurship and the institutional context, and suggests a multi-level approach, drawing on insights from both entrepreneurship studies and new institutional theory. The cases highlight the importance of being able to create alliances and find sponsors to ensure freedom of action and grant legitimacy. The enabling and constraining aspects of the institutional context are illustrated and discussed.

The notion that there is strong connection between the private sector and entrepreneurship has resulted in entrepreneurship in the public sector being neglected. This in turn leads to theoretical, practical and political shortcomings. The role of entrepreneurs as change agents is captured in the concept 'institutional entrepreneurs', but most studies focus on actors on the higher levels. This article sheds light on previously forgotten or ignored entrepreneurial processes, those taking place within the middle levels of the public sector, and which result in institutional change. We elaborate on the characteristics of the entrepreneurial processes and their prerequisites. The framework draws on the tension between entrepreneurship and the institutional context, and suggests a multi-level approach, drawing on insights from both entrepreneurship studies and new institutional theory. The cases highlight the importance of being able to create alliances and find sponsors to ensure freedom of action and grant legitimacy. The enabling and constraining aspects of the institutional context are illustrated and discussed.

PurposeThe paper aims to explore the consequences of new public management (NPM) inspired reforms in general and outsourcing of traditional public sector responsibilities in Sweden to private organizations in particular. At centre stage are the roles of entrepreneurs, women‐owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and socially constructed paradigms of gender in this process. The paper's aim is to explore, through a local‐level case study, the currently ongoing process of gendering and regendering in a female‐dominated sector. This is done by a qualitative real‐time study of the introduction of a customer‐choice system in elder care in a Swedish municipality.Design/methodology/approachThe formal decision in Spring 2008 to introduce a "customer‐choice model" into home‐based elderly care in the municipality is the formal starting point of the research. The authors are given full access to all relevant information and informants including all questions and suggestions from the potential suppliers who were applying to be "authorized and certified suppliers". Interviews are the main method but also written material like applications and newspaper articles and "letters to the editor" are studied.FindingsThe outcome of the changes are, from the decision‐makers point of view, disappointing. The consequences so far of the customer‐choice system, that have been examined here, can be labelled increased masculinism or even a masculinization of the elderly care sector. Whether the polarization is a presage of the process to come is too early to tell. If so, the masculinization observed in this paper extends along three dimensions: governing logic, leadership and ownership. These gender consequences are not those expected or intended by the leading local actors.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is made in an ongoing process. The politicians are making changes aiming at making better working conditions for SMEs and former employees especially women. It is therefore important to follow up what is going to happen in the future. Comparisons with other municipalities and other regimes, nationally and internationally, would also be valuable.Practical implicationsIn this case, the practical implications are, almost, the same as the research implications.Originality/valueThe real‐time research design is used focusing on what is happening in practise at the lower organizational levels of an organizational "experiment" of this kind make this paper unusual and valuable both for researchers and practioners.