Publications
IfM Bonn publishes its research findings primarily in its publication series: study results are published as "IfM-Materials" - or in condensed form as a "Denkpapier" (summary). Statistical analyses and results appear in the series "Daten und Fakten". Discussion and technical papers from all research areas are published as "Working Papers".
In addition, until 2012 selected articles were published in the series "Schriften zur Mittelstandsforschung" (Gabler Verlag). Under the "External Publications" tab, you find numerous essays by IfM researchers that have appeared in (peer-reviewed) specialist journals and external publication series.
599 Results
External publication | 2026 Succession and Demographic Change
Demographic change has led to a steady increase in the number of business owners retiring due to age over the past 20 years, and this trend is set to continue.
Facts and figures | 2026 Patterns of Regional Firm Exits: Determining Factors and Economic Consequences
The aim of this study is to analyze the extent, determining factors, and consequences of firm exit at the regional level.
IfM-Materialien | 2026 The Future of the German Mittelstand 2026 – Update of the expert survey on current and future challenges
What are currently the biggest challenges facing the Mittelstand enterprises from the perspective of business associations, academia and economic policy? In this study, the team of authors answers this question.
Working Papers | 2026 Innovation in Times of Crisis: Does Pre-Existing Innovation Experience Matter?
Previous research shows that innovations help companies to overcome crises. But it is still unclear whether and to what extent external shocks force companies without or less pre-existing innovation experience to innovate and how successful these innovations are to improve the economic situation.
Chartbooks | 2026 The German security and defence sector: Opportunities for the manufacturing industry
About 7% of manufacturing companies in Germany are currently active in the security and defence sector. Four out of ten companies are considering getting active in the security and defence sector.
External publication | 2026 Practice checks as a useful approach to reduce bureaucracy
According to a survey by the IfM Bonn, eight out of ten business owners say that the current bureaucratic burden reduces their enjoyment of entrepreneurship.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2026 Economic uncertainity affects parenting goals
Children of self-employed parents are more likely to become self-employed later in life. However, current research indicates that a risk-averse socialization can counteract the positive effects of a self-employed parental role model.
External publication | 2026 Bureaucratic Burdens in Occupational Safety and Health – Experiences from the Mechanical and Plant Engineering Industry
The study analyses bureaucratic requirements in occupational safety and health within three companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector.
IfM-Materialien | 2026 The dependence of the German Mittelstand on supplies from China
Political efforts to encourage companies to engage in a so-called de-risking with regard to Chinese suppliers have so far met with little success.
IfM-Materialien | 2026 Opportunities of artificial intelligence for addressing the shortage of skilled workers in the German Mittelstand
This study examines the contribution of AI for overcoming the shortage of skilled workers in the German Mittelstand. Therefore, case studies are utilized to identify drivers and barriers for a substitutive and complementary use of AI.
External publication | 2026 Report on Research, Innovation and Technological Performance in Germany 2026
The report 2026 provide a comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the German innovation system in an international and temporal comparison.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2026 Vocational Qualifications in the Context of Innovation: Does Firm Size Matter
Vocational training is more than just a means of securing skilled workers—it also strengthens companies' innovative capacity.
External publication | 2026 Holding up the sky together? Family support dynamics and gender in entrepreneurship in China
Previous efforts to integrate culture and gender into a comprehensive theoretical framework for family support in entrepreneurship have fallen short.
External publication | 2026 In the eye of the storm: What makes entrepreneurs resilient?
Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic confront companies with major challenges. If companies and especially entrepreneurs are not sufficiently resilient, this may have to give up.
External publication | 2026 Research Note: Succession dynamics are changing – New estimates from IfM Bonn on business succession in Germany
The IfM Bonn periodically estimates the number of expected business transfers since 1995.
Chartbooks | 2025 Future Panel Mittelstand 2025: Labour shortage and digital transformation continue to challenge SMEs
or the Future Panel Mittelstand 2025, researchers at IFM Bonn are once again surveyed entrepreneurs about the challenges of the future.
IfM-Materialien | 2025 Regulatory Framework Conditions for a Future-Oriented Mittelstand Policy
The framework conditions for the green transition should allow for individual, flexible solutions. In order not to place an excessive burden on Mittelstand enterprises, restrictive commands, prohibitions and reporting requirements should be avoided as far as possible.
External publication | 2025 Recalibrating Entrepreneurship Research: Decolonizing and Embracing the Pluralism of Entrepreneurial Activity
Entrepreneurship research has long focused on exceptional, high-growth, venture-funded firms while overlooking the everyday and modest ventures that make up most entrepreneurial activity.
Working Papers | 2025 Public childcare – its impact on gender equality in entrepreneurship revisited
The paper at hand analyzes the impact of public childcare provision on start-up rates of women and men in Germany based on public statistical data covering the years 2012 to 2018.
Facts and figures | 2025 Business successions in Germany 2026 to 2030
There are no official statistics that provide reliable information on succession events.