This paper introduces a large-scale administrative panel data set on corporate bankruptcy in Germany that allows for an … to bankruptcy risk but confirm negative size dependence for mature plants, only. Our results corroborate hypotheses … stressing increasing capabilities and positional advantage, both predicting negative age dependence with respect to bankruptcy …

employees, we analyze plant-level employment patterns before bankruptcy, plant closure without bankruptcy, and mass layoff … bankruptcy. Our analysis of worker flows underlines that bankruptcies seem to struggle for survival while closures follow a … largest for closures without bankruptcy. …

increased worker flows. These patterns point to an intended and controlled shrinking strategy for closures without bankruptcy …

and West Germany, I find distinct education and size effects and a higher share of bankruptcy-related liquidations in East …