The compliance costs calculated on the basis of time and expense significantly underestimate the bureaucratic burden on companies. The so-called psychological costs, which result from a wide range of emotional stresses associated with dealing with bureaucratic obligations and which sometimes have serious real economic and atmospheric consequences on the mood of companies, are at least as important, if not more so.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2025 Psychological costs as a key factor in the bureaucratic burden on businesses
Holz, M.; Icks, A.; Schlömer-Laufen, N.; Schneider, S.; Reiff, A. (2025): Psychologische Kosten als zentraler Bestandteil der Bürokratiebelastung von Unternehmen, in: FGF-Forschungsnetzwerk Entrepreneurship, Innovation und Mittelstand e.V. und IfM Bonn: Policy Brief "Unternehmertum im Fokus" 6/25, Bonn.