I am delighted to announce that my paper, ‚Struggling with Entrepreneurial Ecosystems‘, has just been published online in the Journal of Technology Transfer. You can access it at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-025-10280-0  

In this article, I discuss the notion of entrepreneurial ecosystems and propose directions for further developing the concept. As a result of this discussion, I formulate four conceptual requirements.

First, as the primary objective of this approach is to explain and promote regional development, it is essential to implement a metric that quantifies the impact of entrepreneurial activity on regional performance.

Second, an analysis of the role of entrepreneurship in regional development should consider the full spectrum of entrepreneurship in a region, including firms that may not appear promising in their earl stages.

Third, the analysis should not only consider start-ups, but also the innovation and entrepreneurial activity of older firms, as they are a key part of the regional context.

Fourth, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems should be considered part of the regional innovation system, given the close link between entrepreneurship and innovation.

The key challenge in developing a valid EE theory that could provide appropriate policy guidance is to explore the main causal relationships. A useful EE theory should identify market or system failure configurations that make public intervention desirable.

In a new paper, Maria Greve, Michael Wyrwich, and I examine how the legacy of socialist regime in countries of Central and Eastern Europe affected innovation and R&D cooperation. Specifically, we are interested in how institutional framework conditions, both formal and informal, in Eastern Europe help explain this gap. These framework conditions are often cited as hindering innovation activity and are rooted in the communist legacy. We explore how much of the East-West gap can be attributed to these framework conditions, specifically institutional quality (i.e., quality of government) and interpersonal trust. Both factors are important for innovation, but they are clearly less favorable in Eastern Europe, mostly due to the communist legacy. To test the effect of communism on innovation, we analyzed patenting activities in European regions.

We find that the effect of the socialist legacy on innovation activity is largely mediated by the quality of the government and by interpersonal trust. At the same time, the socialist legacy negatively affects the trust and quality of government. Overall, about 70 percent of the impact of socialism on innovation activity can be attributed to these two mediators, particularly the quality of government. Since institutional quality and interpersonal trust also play an important role in cooperation, we analyzed the number of co-patents. The results resemble our findings for the overall level of innovation activity. Therefore, socialism also affected the mode of innovation, particularly collaborative efforts. Further analyses indicate that institutional quality and interpersonal trust are highly intertwined.

Altogether, our findings underscore the enduring power of history in shaping innovation and regional disparities. For policymakers, this research highlights the need for integrated strategies that address both formal and informal institutions to foster innovation in post-communist regions. For scholars, it opens new avenues for exploring the interplay between history, institutions, and innovation in other global contexts.

Fritsch, Michael, Maria Greve and Michael Wyrwich: The impact of socialist legacy on regional differences in innovation activities and cooperation in Europe: A mediation analysis. Research Papers #2025-010, Friedrich Schiller University Jena. https://oweb.b67.uni-jena.de/Papers/jerp2023/wp_2025_010.pdf

I am delighted to share that I have been again included in the Stanford Top 2% Scientists Ranking 2025. The ranking can be found at https://top2percentscientists.com/stanford-elsevier-top-2-scientists-list-2025/

The description of the data base on industrial monuments in Germany that I collected together with Maria Greve, Matthias Huegel, and Michael Wyrwich.is now published in the Journal of Economics and Statistics. https://doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2025-0015

Korneliusz Pylak, Michael Wyrwich and I are orginizing a special session on „Innovation in Disrupted Regions“ at the 8th Geography of Innovation Conference on January 28-30, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary. See https://www.geoinno2026.com/session/s20-innovation-in-disrupted-regions/. The submission deadline is July 14, 2025.

What are the drivers of change in regional entrepreneurship performance over time? To what extent is the development of regional entrepreneurial activity in different national contexts driven by the same or similar factors? How important is the national context compared to regional factors?

In a new paper that was just published in Regional Studies Jon Potter, Haifeng Qian, Georgios Fotopoulos, and I provide a first systematic international comparison of long-term persistence and change of regional levels in self-employment and new business formation in the United States, England and Wales, and West Germany. Analyzing the factors associated with long-term changes in regional start-up performance over a 40-year period (1980-2020), we find that the three economies are highly comparable in the levels of path dependency in their regional start-up rate rankings. Most importantly, the factors related to long-term changes in regional start-up performance in the three economies are quite similar. We find that regional levels of human capital, foreign-born population and population density explain improvements of regional performance, while regional wages, population age structure, small firm presence, and regional industry structure are not important factors. We suggest policy implications and an agenda for further research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2025.2474033

Together with Maria Greve and Michael Wyrwich I contributed to a book that honours my good colleague David Storey who passed away in July 2023. In this article we describe and analyze the long-term development of self-employment in German regions between 1895 and 2019. Based on rankings (“league tables”) for the two years we identify those regions where the relative level of self-employment significantly increased (‘leapfroggers’), and those where the level of self-employment as compared to other regions deteriorated (‘plungers’). While there is some persistence of regional self-employment despite all the disruptive changes that Germany experience during the period of analysis, we also find and discuss considerable changes of regional levels of entrepreneurial activity.

The article is titled „David Storey on Regional Entrepreneurship: The Entrepreneurial League Table of German Regions 1895 and 2019“ and is published in George Saridakis and Jay Mitra (eds.): Entrepreneurship and Small Business: Collection of Research, Policy and Personal Insights in Honour of Contributions of David Storey. Cham 2025: Palgrave Macmillan.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72190-8_11

My paper together with Martin Obschonka, Fabian Wahl, Michael Wyrwich, Peter Jason Rentfrow, Jeff Potter and Samuel D. Gosling about the effects of Roman occupation aboiut 2 000 years ago on today’s population will be published in Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology. The paper is titled „Roma Eterna? Roman Rule Explains Regional Well-Being Divides in Germany“ and is already available under https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cresp.2025.100214.

Abstract: In light of persisting regional inequalities in adaptive outcomes such as health and well-being, and related personality traits, psychological research has begun to embrace a historical perspective to understand the deeper roots of these regional patterns and the factors driving their persistence. Here we go one step further by directly examining the as-yet overlooked role of ancient cultures and the possibility that they had an enduring impact on the macro-psychological character of regions. Exploiting a massive civilization divide that ran through Germany around 2,000 years ago – the Roman Limes protection wall—we compare present-day German regions that were occupied and fundamentally advanced by Roman culture with German regions that remained part of the relatively undeveloped territory. Even when controlling for more recent historical influences and influential borders within Germany, we find evidence that the regions once developed by Roman civilization show more-adaptive personality patterns and related positive health and psychological well-being outcomes today than do other regions. Results from a spatial regression discontinuity design indicate a treatment effect of the Roman border on present-day regional variation in adaptive outcomes. Additional analyses suggest it was particularly the Roman investments in advanced economic institutions (e.g., trade infrastructure), with their long-reaching economic and macro-psychological path dependencies, that were instrumental in creating this long-term Roman effect. Together, the results illustrate how ancient cultures can imprint a macro-psychological legacy by setting in motion cumulative mechanisms that continue to contribute to present-day regional inequalities.

Anzahl der Industriedenkmale pro 1.000 Einwohner in Deutschland (Kreise) / Number of industrial monuments per 1,000 inhabitants in Germany (districts)

Maria Greve, Michael Wyrwich und ich haben erstmalig eine Datenbasis erstellt, die auf der Ebene von Kreisen die Anzahl der vorhandenen Industriedenkmale in den Bereichen Produktion, Versorgung und Verkehr sowie die Anzahl der Brücken und Aquädukte enthält. Der Datensatz ist frei verfügbar und kann beim Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften (GESIS) unter https://doi.org/10.7802/2821 sowie auf diesen Seiten im Bereich „Material“ (https://m-fritsch.de/material/) im Excel-Format herunter geladen werden. Die Vorgehensweise bei der Erstellung dieser Datenbasis haben wir in einem Working Paper genauer beschrieben, das auch einige Übersichten enthält:

Michael Fritsch, Matthias Huegel, Maria Greve und Michael Wyrwich: Industrial Monuments in Germany: Data Basis and Overview of Regional Structures (German version: Industriedenkmale in Deutschland: Datengrundlage und Überblick über regionale Strukturen). Jena Economic Research Papers #2025-001, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena. https://ideas.repec.org/p/jrp/jrpwrp/2025-0061.html  

Maria Greve, Michael Wyrwich and I have created a database for the first time that contains the number of existing industrial monuments in the areas of production, supply and transportation as well as the number of bridges and aqueducts at the district level. The dataset is freely available and can be downloaded in Excel format from the Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (GESIS) at https://doi.org/10.7802/2821 and on these pages in the “Material” section (https://m-fritsch.de/material/). We have described the procedure for creating this database in more detail in a working paper, which also contains several overviews:

Michael Fritsch, Matthias Huegel, Maria Greve and Michael Wyrwich: Industrial Monuments in Germany: Data Basis and Overview of Regional Structures (German version: Industriedenkmale in Deutschland: Datengrundlage und Überblick über regionale Strukturen). Jena Economic Research Papers #2025-001, Friedrich Schiller University Jena. https://ideas.repec.org/p/jrp/jrpwrp/2025-0061.html  

I contributed a survey „Entrepreneurship and Regional Development“ to The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurship edited by Jay Mitra. (ed.), Cham 2024: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. . https://eoi-org/10.1007/978-3-030-68128-9_30-1

A main focus of this survey of research on the role of entrepreneurship in regional development is on the interaction between new businesses and incumbent firms. This interaction is of key importance for the explaining the impact of new businesses on regional performance. The level of regional entrepreneurship, particularly the number and quality of new businesses, and the competition between newcomers and incumbent firms are considerably shaped by the regional context. Regional levels of entrepreneurial activity tend to follow long-term trends that can be shaped by regional cultures and change only rather slowly. Hence, a policy that aims to improve entrepreneurship in a region needs a long-term perspective.
 

The paper „Historical Roots of Entrepreneurship Ecosystems“ (together with Michael Wyrwich) is now published in the Research Handbook on Entrepreneurial Ecosystemsbook edited by James A. Cunningham, Matthias Menter, Conor O’Kane and Marco Romano, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishers, pp. 21-41. https://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781800378988.

The paper contributes to an evolutionary perspective on entrepreneurial ecosystems by reviewing the research on the development of regional entrepreneurship over time. A particular focus is on the long-run persistence of regional levels of entrepreneurship, its explanation, and its meaning for economic development. What is the state of empirical research in this field and what can explain the empirical picture found? How are long-term trends of entrepreneurial activity linked to regional performance? Based on these assessments the paper derives policy implications and avenues for further research.

Das Update der Grafiken der 4. Auflage des Buches „Entrepreneurship- Theorie, Empirie, Politik“ im Powerpoint-Format ist nun verfügbar. Fritsch Menter & Wyrwich Entrepreneurship 4. Auflage Grafiken als Powerpoint Folien

In this new paper I critically discuss the common understanding of ‚entrepreneurial ecosystems‘. In particular, three propositions are made for further development of the concept. First, it is argued that entrepreneurial ecosystems should be regarded a part of the regional innovation system. Second, the scope of the concept should be expanded beyond high-performance start-ups and their founders to include the entire universe of ‘everyday’ entrepreneurship. Third, the concept should account for the incumbent firms and the regional workforce. http://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/receive/jportal_jparticle_01398293

Die aktuelle Ausgabe der Zeitschrift Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik (Bd. 25, H. 2, S. 97-112) enthält den Aufsatz „Historisches Erbe regionaler Innovationstätigkeit – Der Fall Ost- und Westdeutschland“, in dem Maria Greve, Michael Wyrwich und ich wesentliche Ergebnisse unserer Analysen der Innovationsaktivitäten in Ost- und Westdeutschland zusammenfassen. http://doi.org/10.1515/pwp-2023-0025

I will give a keynote speech on „Regional Entrepreneurship in the Long Run – Patterns, Explanations, and Policies“ at the 7th Conference on Institutions and Regional Development in Naples, Italy, 26-27 September. See http://asc-conference.com/

Die vierte Auflage meines Lehrbuches „Entrepreneurship – Theorie, Empirie, Politik“ (gemeinsam mit Matthias Menter und Michael Wyrwich) ist nunmehr erschienen. Gegenüber der vorherigen dritten Auflage wurden sämtliche Angaben aktualisiert und wesentliche Ergänzungen vorgenommen.  http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-44742-7 

My paper „On the Roman Origins of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Germany“ (together with Martin Obschonka, Fabian Wahl, and Michael Wyrwich) is included in the July issue of Regional Studies. The paper is open access and is available under http://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2023.2276341.

In this paper, we investigate whether the development of regional disparities in entrepreneurship and innovation in Germany can be traced back to Roman rule 2000 years ago. We find a lasting positive Roman effect on the level and quality of entrepreneurship and innovation. This effect might be due to the imprint of local hard factors, such as interregional social and economic exchange, particularly emerging from the integration into the Roman Empire.

Maria Greve, Matthias Hügel, Michael Wyrwich und ich haben erstmalig ein Verzeichnis der Industriedenkmale in deutschen Regionen erarbeitet. Dieses Verzeichnis bietet eine Grundlage, um Zusam­menhänge zwischen regionaler Geschichte, Erinnerungskultur und einer Vielzahl wirtschaftlicher und sozialer Indikatoren zu analysieren. Neben des Sammlung von Daten bestand ein wesentliches Ziel bei der Erstellung der Datei darin, eine möglichst einheitliche Definition von Industrie­denkmal zu entwickeln, um die zum Teil recht unterschiedlichen Be­griffsabgrenzungen, die von den Denkmalämter verwendet werden, weitgehend vergleichbar zu machen. Die Daten sowie eine Datensatzbeschreibung stehen bei GESIS zum Download zur Verfügung. http://doi.org/10.7802/2725

Maria Greve, Matthias Hügel, Michael Wyrwich and I have compiled the first ever directory of industrial monuments in German regions. This directory provides a basis for analyzing connections between regional history, the culture of remembrance, and a variety of economic and social indicators. In addition to collecting data, a key objective in compiling the file was to develop as standardized a definition of industrial monument as possible to make the sometimes very different definitions used by the monument authorities largely comparable. The data and a dataset description are available for download from GESIS. http://doi.org/10.7802/2725

I am invited for a keynote at this year’s conference of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA) that takes place from August 27 -30 on Teceira Island, Azores, Portugal. My presentation on „Persistence and Change of Regional Entrepreneurship in the Long Run“ is scheduled for Thursday, August 29, 14.30-16.15h. In this lecture, I will provide an overview of the recent research on the long-term persistence and change in regional entrepreneurship. I will discuss alternative explanations of the patterns found. A focus will be on the implications for theory development and regional-level policy. I will identify the main open questions and promising avenues of further research in this important new field.

Eine deutschsprachige Zusammenfassung wesentlicher Ergebnisse unserer Analysen (mit Maria Greve und Michael Wyrwich) der Innovationsaktivitäten in Ost- und Westdeutschland ist für die Publikation in der Zeitschrift „Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik“ angenommen worden. Das PDF des Aufsatzes „Historisches Erbe regionaler Innovationstätigkeit – Der Fall Ost- und Westdeutschland“ ist unter dem Link http://doi.org/10.1515/pwp-2023-0025 verfügbar.

Zusammenfassung: Wir untersuchen die Auswirkungen der deutschen Teilung und der Wiedervereinigung auf die Innovationsaktivitäten in Ostdeutschland. Dabei stellen wir nach der Wiedervereinigung im Jahr 1990 ein zunehmendes Ost-West-Gefälle der Innovationsaktivitäten fest. Die empirischen Analysen deuten darauf hin, dass trotz der Zunahme an Innovationsaktivitäten im Osten, die Vorteile der Integration der beiden Innovationssysteme zu einem großen Teil in Westdeutschland anfielen. Offenbar beruht das zunehmende Ost-West-Gefälle nicht allein auf der Ineffizienz ostdeutscher Innovationsaktivitäten während der sozialistischen Periode, sondern auch auf der im Rahmen der schnellen Wiedervereinigung erfolgten Schock-Transformation.

Zu einer ausführlicheren englischsprachigen Darstellung der Ergebnisse (frei verfügbar ohne Paywall) siehe:

Fritsch, Michael, Maria Greve und Michael Wyrwich: Shades of a Socialist Legacy? Innovation Activity in East and West Germany 1877-2014. Jena Economic Research Papers #2023-001, Friedrich Schiller University Jena. http://ideas.repec.org/p/jrp/jrpwrp/2023-001.html

Fritsch, Michael, Maria Greve und Michael Wyrwich: Historical Legacies of Regional Innovation Activity – The Case of East (and West) Germany. In: Jutta Guenther, Dagmara Jajeśniak-Quast, Udo Ludwig and Hans-Jürgen Wagener (eds.): Roadblocks to the Socialist Modernization Path and Transition—Evidence from East Germany and Poland. London 2024: Palgrave Macmillan. 91-111. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37050-2_4

The article (with Mari Greve and Michael Wyrwich) „The Deep Historical Roots of Industrial Culture and Regional Entrepreneurship — A case study of two regions“ ist now published in a very up to date collection of great articles edited by Robert Huggins, Fumi Kitagawa, Daniel Prokop, Christina Theodoraki and Piers Thompson. The title of the book is Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Cities and Regions: Emergence, Evolution, and Future published by Oxford University Press http://academic.oup.com/book/56177?login=false. In our contribution we describe and compare the development trajectories of two German regions, South Saxony and Mecklenburg, with a special focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. see http://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192866264.003.0003

The description of „Comprehensive Patent Data of the German Democratic Republic 1949-1990“ that we compiled and made publicly available (with Ann Hipp, Maria Greve, Jutta Günther, Marcel Lange, Christian Liutik, Beate Pfeifer, Mariia Shkolnykova and Michael Wyrwich) was published in the Journal of Economics and Statistics, 244 (2024), 149–158  http://degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jbnst-2022-0058/html

I very much enjoyed two days of intensive discussion and productive knowledge exchange with my friend and colleague Marcus Dejardin in a relaxed atmosphere at the Université de Namur (Belgium). Many thanks, Marcus, for your exceptional hospitality!

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Am 20. März 2024 werden im Rahmen einer Podiumsdiskussion in Berlin aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse zur Transformation in Ostdeutschland sowie in Polen seit dem Systemumbruch Anfang der 1990er Jahre diskutiert. Auf dem Podium sind Prof. André Steiner (Leibniz-Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung, Potsdam), Carsten Schneider (Staatsminister und Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für Ostdeutschland) sowie Vertreter des Forschungsverbundes „Modernisierungsblockaden in Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft der DDR“ (ModBlock). Die Veranstaltung mit dem Titel „Überraschende Befunde zur Modernisierung in der DDR und der Volksrepublik Polen: Potentiale für künftige Transformationen“ findet statt von 17:00-19:30 Uhr im Kurfürstensaal der Vertretung des Landes Brandenburg beim Bund, In den Ministergärten 3, 10117 Berlin. Flyer