Self-efficacy reflects the self-belief that one can persistently perform difficult and novel tasks while coping with adversity. As such beliefs reflect how individuals behave, think, and act, they are key for successful entrepreneurial activities. While existing literature mainly analyzes the...

Greece's currently planned institutional reforms will help to get the country going with limited economic growth. With an economy based primarily on tourism, trade, and agriculture, Greece lacks an established competitive industry and an innovation-friendly environment, resulting in a low export...

We analyze the link between R&D, innovation, and productivity in MSMEs with a special focus on micro firms with fewer than 10 employees; usually constituting the majority of firms in industrialized economies. Using the German KfW SME panel, we examine to what extent micro firms are different...

Entrepreneurs, creators of new firms, are a rare species. Even in innovation-driven economies, only 1-2% of the work force starts a business in any given year. Yet entrepreneurs, particularly innovative entrepreneurs, are vital to the competitiveness of the economy and may establish new jobs....

Private businesses’ nominal value added in Greece has fallen by 38 percent over the last ten years. Micro firms were hit particularly hard. Despite efforts to stabilize the macroeconomic environment, there are only weak signs of recovery. Future prospects are not much better, as—with the...

Die Auswertung neu verfügbarer Daten zeigt, dass die Wertschöpfung griechischer Privatunternehmen in den letzten zehn Jahren nominal um 38 Prozent eingebrochen ist. Besonders stark traf es dabei Kleinstunternehmen. Trotz aller Bemühungen, das makroökonomische Umfeld zu stabilisieren, hat...

A rich literature links knowledge inputs with innovative outputs. However, most of what is known is restricted to manufacturing. This paper analyzes whether the three aspects involving innovative activity - R&D; innovative output; and productivity - hold for knowledge intensive services....

Economic convergence is a major aim of the EU. Innovation and investment in economically weaker regions are key steps to foster convergence • Public institutions and the regulatory environment for investments differ substantially across EU member states and increase economic disparities •...

Das Angleichen der Lebensstandards ist zentrales Ziel der EU; dafür braucht es Innovationen und Investitionen in ökonomisch schwächeren Regionen. Regulierungen und Rahmenbedingungen für Investitionen unterscheiden sich erheblich zwischen den EU-Mitglied- staaten und sorgen für...