Initial situation/problem
The economic framework conditions are currently being adapted with the aim of limiting climate change. In Germany and at the EU level, corresponding regulatory projects are being initiated, and others are being planned. These projects also affect Mittelstand enterprises. For example, taxation of CO2 emissions leads to a directly higher financial burden, the EU taxonomy has consequences for corporate financing, and new regulations to promote the circular economy can fundamentally change the value creation process or the business models of the Mittelstand. The extent to which the Mittelstand is affected by these regulations varies between sectors. This applies both to burdens due to higher energy costs and investments in climate-friendly technologies and to the need to adapt the existing business model or realize new value creation opportunities.
Research Goals/Approach
The project will analyse the direct and indirect economic impacts of selected regulatory measures on the Mittelstand. The study considers the specifics of the Mittelstand, for example, the unity of ownership and management, the embedding in local structures and intergenerational thinking. The analysis classifies the extent to which these and other characteristics tend to have a positive or negative effect on adjustment processes. Particular attention will be paid to the opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises that go hand in hand with the changed framework conditions. In this project, which will run over a period of several years, the state of research will first be conceptually reviewed with the aim of transferring existing experience with previous regulatory changes to the upcoming design of economic framework conditions. At the same time, this work will serve to prepare expert interviews to discuss and classify the identified and possibly further effects. Based on the findings, the economic effects on the Mittelstand for certain economic sectors will be estimated.
