This paper investigates the role of nanotechnologies as a general purpose technology for regional development. Due to pervasiveness, nanotechnologies may be utilized in diverse applications thereby providing the basis for both localization and urbanization externalities. We carry out patent and...

Rising energy prices for fossil fuels, the unreliable supply of energy imports during the last winters and - concerning the 12 new members states (NMS) - the demand by the European Union (EU) for developing National Renewable Energy Action Plans have stimulated the national discussion and...

Increasing inequality in qualification specific employment prospects characterises labour markets in most highly developed countries. Theoretical models suggest that in-plant skill segregation might matter for the polarisation of employment and wages. According to these models production...

This paper deals with the development of disparities in regional per capita GDP and convergence processes in the enlarged EU. A cross-section of 861 regions is analysed for the period from 1995 to 2003. Firstly, we apply Theil's index of inequality in order to show the development of between-...

Labour markets in most highly developed countries are marked by rising levels of skill segregation in the production process and increasing inequalities in skill-specific employment prospects. The local skill structure is frequently regarded as a major cause for regional growth disparities....

Recent theoretical research deals with economic costs and benefits of cultural diversity related to immigration. However, empirical evidence regarding the impact of cultural diversity on economic performance is still scarce. This paper investigates the significance of cultural diversity of the...

We investigate the impact of new business formation on regional employment. The main effects occur after a considerable time lag. Obviously, a large part of the effect is not due to job creation by the newcomers but rather is of indirect nature. This implies that a large part of the debate about...

The paper provides an outline of the concept of regional growth regimes and empirically illustrates the relevance of the concept. The empirical examples are entrepreneurship, entry and the performance of new businesses in East and West Germany. The differences of the factors determining the...

Die Gründung eines innovativen Unternehmens stellt eine Form der kommerziellen Verwer-tung von Wissen dar. Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über Ausmaß von Gründungen in wis-sensintensiven bzw. innovativen Branchen und deren Entwicklung. Da die Gründung eines Unternehmens wesentlich durch...

Der Beitrag behandelt den Einfluss des Gründungsgeschehens auf die regionale Entwicklung. Viele dieser Wirkungen sind indirekter Natur und müssen sich nicht notwendig in der Region niederschlagen, in der die Gründung stattfand. Empirische Analysen für westdeutsche Regionen zeigen, dass nur...