IfM Bonn News

The members of the Enquete Commission on "Reviewing the COVID-19 Pandemic and Lessons for Future Pandemic Events" gathered information in early July on the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effectiveness of the support measures for various sectors in the Bundestag.

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How has self-employment changed since 1945? And how has been the socio-demographic composition of the self-employed developed?

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The number of apprentices in the commercial sector and the liberal professions has been rising steadily for the past four years. At the end of December 2025, around 1.53 million (young) workers were in apprenticeship schemes.

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The highest number of new business registrations in 2025 was recorded in the Munich district. It was followed by the city of Leverkusen – last year's top-ranked region – the Teltow-Fläming district, and the independent cities of Baden-Baden and Offenbach am Main. These are the findings of the latest …

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"Sustainability without innovation requires compromise, whilst sustainability with innovation leads to growth and competitiveness.

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"Water shortages in Germany are not primarily a problem of quantity, but rather – in the face of increasing climate change – a problem of management, distribution and governance," explained Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter early July during the 19th Bonn Academic Summer.

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Is “Made in Germany” still a brand? How can Germany’s position as an economic hub be restored?

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Employees are protected by statutory maternity leave. Those who are self-employed are not. The result: Approximately 27,000 self-employed women in Germany face financial hardship every year just because they are pregnant and run their own businesses.

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Despite the ongoing geopolitical challenges of recent years, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generated approximately € 2.8 trillion in 2024, according to the recent available data.

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Dr Nadine Schlömer-Laufen and Dr Rosemarie Kay provided the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection and the Federal Ministry of Finance a statement on the concept for a "company with tied-up assets".

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During this year’s “Oxford Residence Week for Entrepreneurship Scholars”, held in mid-June in Varese, Italy, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter and Dr Vinzenz Peters discussed again their latest research findings with other international entrepreneurship researchers: In her presentation, the IfM …

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The Chinese government has repeatedly used restrictions on access to raw materials and intermediate goods as a weapon of political pressure in the recent past and has limited their export. But many Mittelstand enterprises continue to use deliveries from China.

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How many business owners will transfer their businesses to a successor between 2026 and 2030? What impact will demographic change have?

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In the first episode of the new podcast series "Mittelstand Research Meets Practice", Prof. Dr Andreas Pinkwart talks about how he has used research findings to develop legislation during his time in political office. He also explain how entrepreneurial innovation in Germany can once again help the …

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Dr Vinzenz Peters and Christine Schmelting took part as experts in the public discussion on "Maternity protection for the self-employed" organised by the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group in the Saxon State Parliament at the end of May.

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