Structural differences at the root of east-west gap in research, development, and innovation in Germany

Artikel

Over the past two decades, research and development (R&D) activities in eastern Germany have increased substantially, albeit to a lesser extent than in western Germany. Furthermore, R&D in eastern Germany was primarily conducted by research in the government sector and less so by universities and businesses. In 2013, overall, R&D activities in eastern Germany reached 86 percent of the western German level; in the private sector, eastern Germany reached just under 50 percent of the western German level. The comparatively low level of R&D activity in eastern Germany's private sector is due to the economic and corporate structure: compared to the western German average, in eastern Germany the research-intensive sectors are not as well established and there are also fewer larger enterprises that generally perform a higher percentage of R&D work than smaller ones. The number of new products launched by companies as a share of the turnover is far lower than for western German firms, and this gap was found to further increase in recent years. Although the German government continues to grant a certain "east bonus" in its backing of private-sector R&D, structural differences will mean that no noticeable convergence towards the western German level can be expected in the near future. Significant regional differences in private-sector R&D activities have also been observed in western Germany.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Journal: DIW Economic Bulletin ; ISSN: 2192-7219 ; Volume: 5 ; Year: 2015 ; Issue: 41 ; Pages: 541-552 ; Berlin: Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW)

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Firm Performance: Size, Diversification, and Scope ; Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives ; Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
• Subject: Regional innovation systems ; Research and development ; Small and medium-sized enterprises ; Manufacturing

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Eickelpasch, Alexander
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW)
• (where): Berlin
• (when): 2015

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/121403
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET