Abstract: Official incentive serves as the core of studying Chinese system of cadres and personnel, and policy entrepreneurs with innovative spirit, different from ordinary officials, have an incentive mechanism. Through the research of early Shenzhen practice, it is found that the leading officials in Shenzhen in the early stage of reform, with the sense of responsibility and mission, fully played the role of policy entrepreneurs in a specific institutional environment, and thus well made up for the lack of conventional incentives, and their role, therefore, occupied as the core variable of Shenzhen sample. The emergence of policy entrepreneurs, Shenzhen’s experience shows, stems from the positive fit between individual endowment and organizational incentive. To cultivate policy entrepreneurs, we should not only establish a cadre selection and appointment mechanism of policy entrepreneurs that allows power to be assigned to policy entrepreneurs, but also give enough tolerance to the objective mistakes brought by their performance and establish a strong relationship network for them.

Key words: policy entrepreneurs, official incentive, Shenzhen’s experience, realistic reflection