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Information on Mittelstand enterprises

  • practice-oriented
  • interdisciplinary
  • applied research

 

Geopolitical challenges

For many decades, the multilateral dismantling of trade barriers and broad trade policy stability contributed ...

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SME Development Barometer

IfM Bonn uses the "Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises", to report semiannually on the current ...

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IfM Bonn News

How childbirth affects the employment of self-employed women

Many working women generally reduce their working hours after giving birth, which is associated with a loss of income.

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SME Barometer: Economic situation takes a hit in the third quarter

The IfM Bonn's latest SME Barometer shows that turnover and profits of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fell again in the third quarter. By contrast, the positive trend in investment continued.

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IfM-Position Paper

The impact of the provisional US-EU trade agreement on Mittelstand enterprises

On 27 July 2025, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump settled on a preliminary trade agreement. Of particular relevance to Mittelstand enterprises is that US import tariffs on most goods will only rise to 15% instead of the 30% previously anounced.

In other areas, such as the pharmaceutical industry, the level of customs duties remains unclear, while tariffs of 50% will continue to be levied on steel and aluminium imports into the US.

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Figure of the Month

One in four

self-employed craftswomen is back to work at the same level as before pregnancy just six weeks after giving birth.

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Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus"

Local Entrepreneurship Helps Places Bounce Back After Extreme Weather Shocks 

The presence of entrepreneurial organizations in an economy is associated with greater regional resilience to external shocks. Why?

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Cooperation with University of Siegen

Zukunftspanel Mittelstand

Zukunftspanel Mittelstand

NUI region ranking

Offensive Mittelstand

Data of the IfM Bonn

Data of the IfM Bonn

Third party research