The literature argues that research spin-offs (RSOs)—enterprises originating from a university or research institute—appear to have higher innovative potential and capabilities than other start-ups, at least in the early stages of their development. Yet, little is known about the innovative...

A joint research project at the European University Viadrina, DIW Berlin and the Polish Academy of Science has investigated how companies assess their locational conditions and whether there is a relationship between location attributes and the company performance. In both countries the majority...

In recent decades the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has increased significantly, especially in manufacturing industries. Yet in contrast to large, multinational corporations, not much is known about the international activities of SMEs. Data on East German...

Die Europa-Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder), hat zusammen mit dem DIW Berlin und dem Institut für Wirtschaftswissenschaften der Polnischen Akademie der Wissenschaft, Warschau, untersucht, wie die Unternehmen in Polen und in Ostdeutschland die Bedingungen an ihrem Standort bewerten und ob...

In den vergangenen Jahrzehnten hat die Internationalisierung von kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen, insbesondere im verarbeitenden Gewerbe, stark zugenommen. Über die Auslandsaktivitäten des Mittelstandes ist jedoch - anders als bei großen, multinationalen Unternehmen - bislang wenig bekannt....

This paper investigates predictions of Porter's Diamond model regarding the impact of locational factors on innovativeness and performance at the firm level. We formulate a structural equation model based on the relationships between locational conditions, e.g., transportation infrastructure,...

Trade theory and economic geography suggest that the removal of trade barriers is likely to bring about more economic specialisation and potentially more diverse development paths between countries and regions. Thus, the deepening and extending European integration should be accompanied by an...

This paper has two goals. First, it analyzes the extent to which the innovativeness of spin-offs, either born from a research facility or from another company, is influenced by locational conditions. Second, it provides evidence on how important local cooperation links are in comparison to...

This paper empirically investigates the antecedents of internationalization of SMEs, focusing on differences between the manufacturing and service sectors. Specifically, employing a bivariate probit model based on survey data of approximately 3,900 East German firms, I analyze which firm-related...