WI researchers contribute to current Zeitgespräch section in the journal Wirtschaftsdienst

In the article "Unlocking Rural Potential through Integrative Innovation Policy", Petrik Runst and Jörg Thomä (ifh Göttingen) discuss the conditions for innovation-driven growth in rural regions. Recent research on young innovative companies in Germany shows that innovation in rural areas can thrive through alternative approaches summarized as "Learning by Doing, Using, Interacting (DUI)." A broader understanding of innovation—going beyond traditional R&D—makes it possible to better recognize and support the value creation potential of rural regions with developmental disadvantages through an integrative innovation policy.

In the second article titled “Can Structurally Weak Rural Areas Benefit from Energy Transition?”, Dominik Frankenberg, Jan Cornelius Peters, and Annekatrin Niebuhr (Institute for Employment Research) examine to what extent structurally weak rural areas can benefit from the energy transition. The pressure to adapt and the development potential linked to the energy transition vary significantly by region. Many structurally weak rural areas are important sites for the production of renewable energy and could therefore benefit disproportionately from the energy transition. Investment subsidies from regional policy, regulations to increase local value creation from renewable energy production, and regional energy pricing can help structurally weaker regions fully exploit the potential of the transformation process.

To the article

Contact: Petrik Runst, Dominik Frankenberg