Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus"
The IfM Bonn and the Förderkreis Gründungs-Forschung e.V. (FGF) jointly edit the policy brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" (formerly "Mittelstand aktuell") since November 2016. On 2 pages, research results on current topics are presented together with recommendations for economic policy makers.
22 Results
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2023 Digitalization activities in the small enterprise sector: an urban-rural issue?
The concern that rural regions and their enterprises are at a disadvantage in the use of new digital technologies compared to urban areas due to a digital divide is a recurring theme in the political debate.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2023 SMEs now play a larger role in trade and FDI relations between Germany and Brazil
Using new statistical data sources, this policy brief highlights a considerable and growing importance of German SMEs for the trade and FDI relations between Brazil and Germany.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2023 How young and established companies differ with regard to sustainability and digitisation efforts
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data from 2021 shows that new business owner-managers and established business owner-managers have different digitisation and sustainability efforts.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2023 Hybrid self-employed and paid employees with a mid-job
Starting in July 2019, midijobbers acquire full pension entitlements despite reduced contributions. This favours hybrid self-employed with midijob over-dependent employees.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2023 Regional social capital and the entrepreneurial process
Business start-ups do not take place in a vacuum but are deeply embedded in the regional social context.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2022 The Prototyping Approach – A fresh look at the role of personality in entrepreneurial decision making
The Big Five personality model has been used repeatedly to explain entrepreneurial behaviour, and the traits extraversion and openness to experience have been shown to positively affect self-employment. However, this literature has largely ignored the interplay of the five traits, which is studied in psychological research as part of the person-centred prototyping approach to examining an individual's personality.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2022 Long-Term Effects of Socialism and Transformation on Self-Employment in East Germany
The rigorous anti-entrepreneurial policies that prevailed during communist regime did not leave any long-term negative effects on the level of self-employment in East Germany.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2022 Dependent self-employment in multi-level marketing
In 2020, the number of solo self-employed members in multi-level marketing (MLM) in Germany continued to rise.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2022 Business Dynamics in the Netherlands 2020: The First Phase of the Covid-19 Pandemic
During the large economic contraction in the Netherlands caused by the COVID-19 pandemic the number of bankruptcies surprisingly fell.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2021 Why there are fewer business successions than generally expected
In the public discussion on business succession, it is generally assumed that the number of companies is larger than the number of companies actually affected by the succession question.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2021 Entrepreneurship and knowledge as drivers of regional development in East Germany
East German regions, which had a relatively high density of private enterprises and a high qualification level of the workforce at the end of the GDR era, coped relatively well within the abrupt transition to a market economy more than 30 years ago.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2021 Succession as closure risk
Closures in the course of successions are a rare phenomenon. The analysis of businesses that were ready to be handed over and whose owners planned a handover in the period from 2012 to 2016 but closed down their business instead proves this.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2021 The (underestimated) potential of craft roll data for start-up and SME research
The business statistics of the Chambers of Skilled Crafts and Small Businesses hold a worthwhile data potential for start-up and SME research
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2021 Income cuts and living standards in entrepreneurial households
Due to the pandemic-induced economic crisis, the self-employed are currently suffering considerable losses in sales and income. These income cuts affect not only the self-employed, but all members of households, who usually form an economic unit and support each other.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2020 Foundation processes and the effect of crises
Crises have an accelerating effect on foundation processes. This is proven by the analysis of start-ups during the financial crisis of 2007/09 and could also apply in the Corona Pandemic.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2020 What makes the Hidden Champions so successful?
Internationalisation and R&D activities characterise Hidden Champions.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2019 Why the start-up culture in Silicon Valley is different
Looking at the influence of the start-up environment - independent of individual entrepreneurial activity - it can be seen that the environment in Germany promotes incremental-innovative start-ups.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2018 Innovation is more than research and development
Innovations without R&D are widespread in medium-sized companies. Beyond R&D, the focus of innovation activity is primarily on the development of incremental innovations.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2018 Business model innovations in family businesses
Innovative business models are just as important for the success of a company as new products and technologies.
Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" | 2017 Heterogeneity of SME financing in Europe
The middle class and its financing is a topic of high relevance. However, there is little empirical evidence on this topic at European level.