There is ample evidence that user-producer interaction is an important factor for successful innovations. It is often claimed that user-producer interaction is most effcient in close proximity. On the other hand, innovations are a major determinant for the export performance of firms. Does this...

While there is a broad literature on the general wage effect of training, little is known about the effects of different training forms and about the effects for heterogeneous training participants. This study therefore adds two aspects to the literature on earnings effects of training. First,...

This paper deals with the effects of publicly funded research at universities, polytechnics and federal research labs on industrial innovations in Germany. We discuss the characteristics of companies that benefit from the findings of public research institutions. In questioning 2,300 companies...

Wo liegen Deutschlands regionale und sektorale Innovationsschwerpunkte? Innovative regionale Kompetenzzentren zeichnen sich vor allem dadurch aus, daß die ansässigen Unternehmen intensiv auf Hochschulabsolventen zurückgreifen, viele Naturwissenschaftler und Ingenieure beschäftigen und...

Lead Märkte sind regionale Märkte, auf denen in engem Zusammenspiel von Herstellern und lokalen Nutzern Innovationen eingeführt und weiterentwickelt werden, die sich später als international erfolgreich erweisen. Bei ihrem internationalen Siegeszug setzen sie sich gegen alternative...

Start-up firms often face difficulties in raising external funds. Employing a unique panel dataset covering 9,715 start-up firms over the period 2007-2009, we find that high-tech startups are less likely to use bank finance and face more difficulties in raising bank finance than low-tech...