IfM Bonn News

In the first half of this year, more main branch businesses were established in Germany (46,000) than were closed (34,000). These include startups with a commercial register or craft roll entry, or with one or more employees.

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Around 27,000 self-employed women have born a child each year. Unlike women in regular employment, they are not entitled to maternity benefits under the Maternity Protection Act, as it does not apply to them. However, they can voluntarily secure their income during the maternity leave periods before …

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Regulatory policy is often neglected in the debate about the challenges of the digital transformation and the fight against climate change.

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Have women-led businesses been more impaired by the coronavirus pandemic than men-led businesses? Did female entrepreneurs use support measures to the same extent as their male counterparts?

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More than 3.4 million companies in Germany are classified as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) according to the European Commission's definition of SMEs. This is more than 99% of all private sector businesses in Germany.

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Dr Teita Bijedić-Krumm has been appointed to the jury for the federal competition ʺZukunft Regionʺ organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. The target of the competition is to strengthen the economic power of structurally weak German regions.

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How do small and medium-sized enterprises develop in Germany – and in Europe? Are SMEs in Germany facing the same challenges as small and medium-sized enterprises in other EU countries?

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In the competition for apprentices, micro enterprises (with fewer than 10 employees subject to social security contributions) are increasingly falling behind. Despite a slight increase in the total number of apprentices to over 1.5 million, there were 3.4% fewer apprentices employed in these micro …

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There is recurring public concern that hybrid self-employed may not be sufficiently socially protected due to the different social security systems for paid employees and the self-employed.

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Do individual characteristics of the Big Five personality patterns have an impact on the development of innovation in structurally disadvantaged regions? Leonie Reher, Dr Jörg Thomä and Dr Petrik Runst analyse this question in their policy brief "Patterns of personality: An explanatory approach to …

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According to the researchers at IfM Bonn, the Federal Government's goal to simplify, expedite, and digitize procurement law is a step in the right direction: The planned Growth Initiative aims to reduce bureaucratic effort for both clients and contractors in future procurement procedures. …

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When companies engage in own research and development, are internationally active and seek to maximise their market share, the chances of becoming a hidden champion increase.

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"In principle, we welcome that the Bavarian state government aims to simplify public procurement in municipal construction by expanding the upper limits for direct awards" explained Sebastian Schneider, one of the authors of the IfM study "Mittelstand-Friendly Design of Public Tenders".

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What opportunities exist for craft businesses to use artificial intelligence (AI) in their day-to-day work? How can this make things easier for companies?

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Companies increasingly feel unable to implement all of the existing bureaucratic regulations imposed by the state – but also by self-regulatory organisations in industry, standardisation institutes or within value chains.

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