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
Chartbooks | 2023 How companies in NRW cope with climate change
Climate change is affecting North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) - one of Germany's largest and most densely populated federal states.
External publication | 2023 Health Economy in the Digital Transformation
The healthcare industry comprises a complex system of stakeholders with different interests and needs. For the successful digital transformation of the healthcare industry, it is therefore essential to establish appropriate governance structures that take this complexity into account.
External publication | 2023 Does innovation shape the employment growth distribution? Evidence from East European firms
Employment growth is one of the most crucial indicators for economic policy. As the literature shows that only few fast-growing firms create the most new jobs, we apply recentered influence function regression to examine whether and how innovation activities shape the employment growth distribution.
External publication | 2023 The stagnating productivity of SMEs endangers Germany's prosperity
Small and medium-sized companies are increasingly lagging behind large companies in terms of their labor productivity - the "backbone" of the German economy is in danger of falling behind.
Chartbooks | 2023 Mittelstands Future Panel: The Future Panel 2023: Increased competitive pressure challenges companies
For the third consecutive time, both medium-sized and non-owner-managed companies cited the shortage of skilled workers as their biggest challenge. The current survey also shows that the dominance of "competitive pressure" as a challenge.
External publication | 2023 The interplay of context and entrepreneurship: the new frontier for contextualisation research
The aim of this Special Issue ties in with increasing calls in the entrepreneurship literature for going beyond agent centric views towards accounts that theorise the interconnections between agency and structure.
External publication | 2023 A highly innovative SME sector needs reliable framework conditions
What general conditions are currently needed to strengthen innovation and investment in the Mittelstand?
IfM-Materialien | 2023 Influence of administrative burdens on the cross-border posting of employees by SMEs in border regions
Based on interviews with companies and experts, the study examines the extent to which administrative requirements hinder or prevent the cross-border provision of services by German and Dutch SMEs in selected border regions.
External publication | 2023 Gesellschaft mit gebundenen Vermögen – a legal form that can actually facilitate business successions in the future?
This paper analyses the suitability of the new legal form of the "Gesellschaft mit gebundenem Vermögen" planned in the coalition agreement for the context of business successions.
External publication | 2023 The attractiveness of polytechnics in Delhi and Mumbai: a study on the perception from the perspective of students and parents
This article analyses the attractiveness of Polytechnics (PTs) in India, which are part of the country’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, from the perspectives of individuals. PTs as institutions of Higher VET are an essential part of the Indian VET system.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 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.
IfM-Materialien | 2023 Entrepreneurship of minors: Prevalence and characteristics
Diese explorative Studie beleuchtet erstmals auf Basis des Taxpayer-Panels sowie selbst erhobener Daten die unternehmerische Selbstständigkeit von Minderjährigen.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 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.
Facts and figures | 2023 Hybrid self-employment in the employment trajectory. Analyses based on the Taxpayer Panel 2001-2018
From a socio-political point of view, the growing number of hybrid self-employed is associated with the concern that gaps could open up in their old-age provision. However, hybrid self-employment episodes are usually of short duration, although they often occur several times in the course of employment.
Denkpapiere | 2023 “Gesellschaft mit gebundenen Vermögen” – A critical view of the legal form from an economic perspective
This paper analyses the new legal form of the "Gesellschaft mit gebundenem Vermögen" planned in the coalition agreement. It shows that the core elements of the legal form (asset lock as well as the retention of company shares in the so-called "capabilities and values family") could endanger rather than promote the continued existence of companies in the long term.
IfM-Materialien | 2023 Adapting to climate change: Exploring the specific challenges for SMEs
We investigate whether and how businesses perceive and adapt to climate change. Our survey results suggest that most German enterprises are aware of climate change and its consequences. The perception of climate risks is less driven by business size than by experience.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 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.
External publication | 2023 In danger of being left behind?
Has the Mittelstand lost its charisma? Based on a corpus of newspaper articles, the autors use a multi-dimensional approach combining content, framing, and metaphor analysis to expose how media report about the digital transformation in the German Mittelstand.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 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.
External publication | 2023 Resilience of the construction sector: First insights on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the construction industry
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the German construction industry developed positively in 2020 and 2021 and was thus able to bolster the economy as a whole during this crisis.