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1171 Results

NRW

In 2024, approx. 733 906 enterprises classified as small and medium-sized enterprises in North Rhine-Westphalia, accounting for 99.1% of the total number of enterprises with turnover from goods and…

NRW

 Total1SMEs1SME-Share1 Number of enterprises       Enterprises according to business register 20242 740 506 733 906 99.1 % Enterprises liable to VAT 20243 635 353 631 426…

Women in the German Economy

Women in the German Economy Around one third of all self-employed people in Germany are female. But fewer women than men start their own businesses. And only 18.4% of family businesses are run by…

External publication | 2025 Business succession in Germany: The role of women-led businsses

In Germany, around 38,000 owner-managed businesses are up for succession every year.

Overview

Overview The IfM Bonn offers a wide range of information about Mittelstand (SME) enterprises. The publication formats range from research reports and statistical data tables to press articles,…

Geopolitical challenges

Geopolitical challenges For many decades, the multilateral dismantling of trade barriers and broad trade policy stability contributed to an increase in foreign trade activities worldwide and the…

IfM-Background-Paper | 2025 The SME sector in the face of US tariffs

The unilateral tariff policy of the current US administration represents a serious departure from the rules-based global trading system in terms of the level of the (threatened) tariffs and their application to almost all countries and industries.

IfM-Materialien | 2025 Self-employed craftswomen as (expectant) mothers – results of a survey conducted across North Rhine-Westphalia

This study analyses the professional and operational consequences of pregnancy and maternity for self-employed craftswomen in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2025 Crafts entrepreneurship: A new perspective on the role of the Big Five trait "conscientiousness"

This paper presents new findings on the entrepreneurial role of the "conscientiousness" trait from the Big Five personality model, as illustrated by self-employment in the crafts sector.

Facts and figures | 2025 The relationship between birth of a child and women's self-employment

The birth of a child often represents a significant break in the employment history of women in paid employment. We investigate whether this also applies to self-employed women.

External publication | 2025 Comparing the Prediction Performance of Random Forest, Lasso, and Logit in the Context of IPO Withdrawal

This paper examines the prediction of IPO withdrawal using machine learning methods and conventional regression.

External publication | 2025 Young and small firms and resilience to extreme weather events

Regions with high levels of entrepreneurial initiative, in which there are many young and small businesses, are more economically resilient to extreme weather events.

Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2025 Time or Money? Mothers and Start-up Decisions

How do parental leave policies influence mothers’ decision to become an entrepreneur? This study finds: A reduction in parental leave duration significantly lowers the likelihood that mothers start their own business.

Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2025 Content and communication channels for successfully addressing women with the topic of entrepreneurship

There is a gender gap regarding entrepreneurship in Germany: women are less likely to start new businesses than men.