en: News

The current Zeitgespräch section in the journal Wirtschaftsdienst addresses “Economic Responses to Populism.” In their contribution, Lena Gerling and Thomas Apolte (University of Münster) discuss the role of conspiracy beliefs and party identification for the observed success of populist parties.

Cover of the Journal Wirtschaftsdienst issue 01/2026

To what extent can firms increase their probabilities of survival through innovation activities? A new study by Ann Hipp explores the important role of patents for a firm’s probability of survival from the emergence to the decline of an industry.

Cover of the Journal Small Business Economics

Current transformation processes are significantly challenging economic dynamics in rural areas. In a new article in the journal “Ländliche Räume”, Jan Cornelius Peters and Christian Hundt show that the structural shift away from industry is gaining momentum, particularly affecting rural areas.

In an article published in the members’ magazine of the German Farmers' Association, "Deutsche Bauern Korrespondenz", Petrik Runst and Christian Bergholz address the question of how rural and urban areas differ in terms of their economic performance.

Cover of themembers’ magazine of the German Farmers' Association . „Deutsche Bauern Korrespondenz"

Against the backdrop of the upcoming redefinition of the funding areas for the Joint Task for the Improvement of Regional Economic Structures (GRW), the report examines the structural weaknesses of rural areas, taking into account various dimensions related to the GRW.

How does a tax on overnight stays affect German cities? Valentin Kissmann from the University of Göttingen presented a research project on this topic at the Thünen Institute of Rural Economics.

Valentin Kissman (left) and Jan Cornelius Peters

Women start businesses less often than men – but are catching up. This is shown in the report “Women Entrepreneurship Monitor 2024/2025” published today by the RKW Competence Center. Thünen researchers were also involved in the study.

Even in times of crisis, the rate of women starting businesses remains more stable than that of men.

Gesine Tuitjer presented the results of her research project on artists and cultural professionals as a resource for rural development at the State Culture Congress in Rendsburg.

Programm of the State Culture Congress Schleswig-Holstein

A conference at the French Ministry of Economy and Finance highlighted the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition using agri-photovoltaics as an example. More than 100 experts from France and Germany took part, including representatives of the Thünen Institute.

From October 14 to 16, 2025, Makerere University in Kampala (Uganda) hosted a PhD workshop under the umbrella of the project “Land Acquisitions and Rising Land Inequalities in Rural East Africa” (LARLIREA), with active participation from the Thünen Institute.