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.
544 Results
Chartbooks | 2022 The income situation of hybrid self-employed. Analyses with the Taxpayer Panel 2001-2016
In order to find evidence for assessing the capacity of hybrid self-employed for old-age provisions, we analyse the level and composition of their income on the basis of the Taxpayer Panel. We find that nine out of ten hybrid self-employed earn their main income from dependent employment.
External publication | 2022 Going from one crisis to the next? Family businesses in the 21st century
Amid the war in Ukraine, the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and structural change, family businesses in Europe face many challenges. How can they master them, and how can Mittelstand policy support them?
Facts and figures | 2022 Company sales - prevalence, revenues, and trends
We examine the market for company sales in the years from 2001 to 2016 with income tax data. Both, the number of sales and the average profits increased over time.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 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.
Chartbooks | 2022 Zukunftspanel 2022: Klima und Energie gewinnen als Herausforderungen an Bedeutung
As part of the Zukunftspanel Mittelstand, companies were asked for the fourth time what challenges they are currently facing – and what they expect to face in the future.
IfM-Materialien | 2022 Mittelstand businesses in the Covid19 pandemic – being affected by and dealing with the crisis
Based on the German Business Panel, the study examines how small and medium-sized en-terprises (SMEs) and Mittelstand businesses fared during the Covid-19 pandemic. It shows that SMEs as well as Mittelstand businesses were more strongly affected by the crisis than large and non-Mittelstand businesses.
External publication | 2022 Female Entrepreneurship
Female entrepreneurship and its contribution to job creation, innovation, and economic prosperity have attracted increasing interest in policy, theory, and practice over the last decade.
External publication | 2022 Dreaming of a Different Future
Drawing on personal observations and experiences during 2020, the author reflects on the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic poses for academic and researcher diversity as well as for which entrepreneurship research matters and how best to disseminate research results beyond academia.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 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.
Facts and figures | 2022 Start-up activity in the districts and independent cities: What characterises successful start-up ecosystems?
This study examines the characteristics of successful regional start-up ecosystems. Both commercial and freelance start-ups in the period 2017 - 2019 are taken into account.
IfM-Materialien | 2022 Entrepreneurship during the Covid-19 pandemic: A focus on individual resilience
This study uses a systematic literature review to examine the extent to which an entrepreneur's individual resilience influences business development during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also considers which resilience factors are of particular importance.
External publication | 2022 Company succession in the construction industry
To date, no estimate or survey provides reliable information on how many of the companies in the construction industry are facing succession in the coming years or the specifics of the succession process in the construction industry.
External publication | 2022 Motives for cooperation between established SMEs and start-ups
Cooperations between start-ups and established Mittelstand companies are be-coming increasingly popular. This article deals with the motives for entering into such a cooperative relationship. After all, young innovative companies and es-tablished Mittelstand companies have different prerequisites.
IfM-Background-Paper | 2022 Commercial start-ups and company closures 2021 - ambiguous trends
The first half of 2021 was still characterized by the coronavirus pandemic. However, the lockdowns have hardly had any impact on the scope of start-up activities, which have returned to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year.
Facts and figures | 2022 Development of hybrid self-employment in Germany – analyses based on the Taxpayer Panel 2001-2016
Hybrid self-employment is receiving increasing attention. However, little is known about this form of employment's true extent and characteristics. This study deals with it based on the Taxpayer Panel for the first time
Facts and figures | 2022 Impact of the Covid19 pandemic on start-up activities in 2020 – a regional analysis
Based on business registration statistics and a wide range of other information on the startup ecosystem, we examine the impact of the Covid19 pandemic on startup activity in 401 districts and independent cities in Germany.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 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.
IfM-Background-Paper | 2022 The Impact of the war in Ukraine on Mittelstand companies
The war in Ukraine, which has been going on since 24 February 2022, has not left Germany untouched.
External publication | 2022 In the eye of the beholder? Differentiating between SMEs and Mittelstand
A common fallacy is that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the translation for Mittelstand companies. Until today, no common, widely accepted, and consistently applied understanding of what constitutes the Mittelstand exists, and related international research is consequently less coherent as well as a strong evidence-base for policy makers lacking.
External publication | 2022 Knowledge Accumulation in Entrepreneurship
As the field of entrepreneurship has grown, so has the accumulated knowledge about individual entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial ventures, and the entrepreneurial environment.