The Long Persistence of Regional Levels of Entrepreneurship: Germany, 1925-2005

F<sc>ritsch</sc> M. and W<sc>yrwich</sc> M. The long persistence of regional levels of entrepreneurship: Germany, 1925-2005, <italic>Regional Studies</italic>. This paper investigates the persistent levels of self-employment and new business formation in different time periods and under different framework conditions. The analysis shows that regional differences regarding the level of self-employment and new business formation tend to be persistent for periods as long as eighty years, despite abrupt and drastic changes in the political-economic environment. This pronounced persistence demonstrates the existence of regional entrepreneurship culture that tends to have long-lasting effects.