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.
555 Results
Working Papers | 2024 Regional Entrepreneurship: Pain or gain for economic growth?
This research note examines the relationship between start-up rates and GDP per capita growth in urban and rural regions in Germany.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2024 The potential of angel investing in Entrepreneurship-Through-Acquisition
While the investment activities of business angels are primarily associated with startups, they also invest to a notable extent in the entrepreneurial acquisition variant of company formation ("Entrepreneurship-through-acquisition" or ETA).
External publication | 2024 Access to digital finance: Equity crowdfunding across countries and platforms
Financing entrepreneurship spurs innovation and economic growth. Digital financial platforms that crowdfund equity for entrepreneurs have emerged globally, yet they remain poorly understood.
Facts and figures | 2024 The underrepresentation of women in entrepreneurship
Although the number of self-employed women has increased more than men in recent decades, there is still a clear under-representation of women in entrepreneurship.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2024 Capturing entrepreneurial activities among minors
The authors explain in the policy brief what minors’ entrepreneurial activities characterise. Minors mainly use self-employment to try things out, implement ideas on the market, and acquire skills that prepare them for their later working lives.
External publication | 2023 A multi-voiced account of family entrepreneuring research: expanding the agenda of family entrepreneurship
This conceptual, multi-voiced paper aims to collectively explore and theorize family entrepreneuring, which is a research stream dedicated to investigating the emergence and becoming of entrepreneurial phenomena in business families and family firms.
IfM-Background-Paper | 2023 Technology-open and broad-based R&I support - Assessement from the perspective of economic theory and economic policy
Innovations are important for the growth of an economy and their insitutional support is an integral element of innovation policy in Germany.
IfM-Materialien | 2023 Early detection of threats and opportunities – Developing an early detection concept
Currently, SMEs are confronted with several crises. The early detection of relevant threats and opportunities enables SMEs and economic policymakers to be prepared and set the appropriate framework conditions.
IfM-Materialien | 2023 Development trends in global value chains from the perspective of Mittelstand companies
The integration of German companies into global value chains also harbors the risk of adverse shocks from other economies being transmitted to Germany.
Chartbooks | 2023 How Hidden Champions in the manufacturing industry use artifical intelligence
Germany is home to the most Hidden Champions in the world. To maintain their market leadership, they have to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) applications and technologies into their business models.
IfM-Materialien | 2023 SME-friendly organisation of public procurement
The German government would like to amend public procurement without raising the access barriers for SME.
External publication | 2023 Analysing the bureaucratic burden in Germany – How can a noticeable reduc-tion in bureaucracy be achieved?
This study analyses the current bureaucratic burden on companies from a holistic, process-oriented (model) perspective – the so-called regulatory cycle. On the basis of a quantitative enterprise survey, an international comparison and a literature analysis, a phase-oriented, holistic action plan for a noticeable reduction of the bureaucratic burden is developed.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2023 How the Online Gig Economy Challenges the Education-Income Paradigm
It is a well-established finding in the social sciences that workers with higher educational qualifications have higher average incomes.
Chartbooks | 2023 Artificial Intelligence (AI) – spread, challenges and opportunities in the manufacturing industry
The question of how companies can use artificial intelligence (AI) for their purposes is becoming increasingly pressing.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2023 The planned mandatory old-age provision system for new self-employed – how many will it affect?
The German government plans to introduce a mandatory old-age provision scheme for newly self-employed, who are not yet subject to a compulsory old-age provision scheme. The analysis of the authors suggests that many newly self-employed would not be subject to mandatory pension provisions because of their low income.
IfM-Background-Paper | 2023 Climate risks from a company perspective
Against the backdrop of worsening climate change, companies are increasingly confronted with a range of risks such as extreme weather events.
External publication | 2023 Analysis of the income situation of founders based on the German taxpayer panel
The report is dedicated to the development of the earnings of start-up cohorts. Even if many of the surviving start-ups achieve increasing profits in the following periods, a large number of founders do not manage to generate income of more than € 5,400 a year even in the 5th year after the start-up.
External publication | 2023 Number and structure of start-ups based on the Taxpayer Panel
The Federal Government is planning to introduce an obligation to provide for old age for the self-employed who have not yet been covered by any old-age insurance system if they have been self-employed for 2 years and their income from self-employment is above the marginal income for dependent employment.
IfM-Materialien | 2023 Corporate financing of small and medium-sized enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic
This study examines the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we observe an increase in the number of SMEs with financing problems. This is true for SMEs in Germany as well as in other euro area countries.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 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.