News

The positive relationship between employees’ cultural diversity and business innovation is well established in the literature. A recent handbook article reviews the existing body of research and provides new insights on the underlying causes of this positive correlation.

Does a politician's sex influence political budget cycles? A new study emphasizes the role of gender differences in local governments to understand budget spending patterns in Spanish municipalities.

Business formation as a response to unemployment – a new study reveals systematic differences between East and West Germany as well as between urban and rural areas. The findings have been published in the journal Regional Studies.

At this year's summer conference of the German-speaking Section of the European Regional Science Association (GfR), discussions focused on “Entrepreneurship and Regional Development in Times of Transformations” and other topics. Petrik Runst and Jan Cornelius Peters each presented current research.

In the context of the funding initiative „WIR! – Wandel durch Innovation in der Region“, an interim evaluation was due. Jan Cornelius Peters took part in the evaluation of regional innovation alliances as a member of the jury.

The start-up rate in Germany reached an peak level of 9.8% in 2024. This was revealed by the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, which was presented in Frankfurt am Main at the beginning of July.

Young innovative companies tend to grow strongly – but not only through research and development. A new study shows: Practice-oriented innovation paths like “learning by doing” can also successfully drive growth.

The current edition of our "Facts & Figures on the Rural Economy" series examines the increasingly tense financial situation of German municipalities. Dominik Frankenberg discusses the current situation, emerging trends, as well as key differences between urban and rural regions.

Dominik Frankenberg discusses the strained situation of municipal budgets, its causes, expected developments and political reform options in the current issue of the Journal of Public Finance and Fiscal Federalism.

The manufacturing sector in Germany is at the heart of profound structural changes. In our new project, we examine how regional shocks and job losses influence decisions about where people live and work, and how regional prosperity and spatial inequalities evolve.