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The Importance of Mittelstand Firms for Regional Apprenticeship Activity - Lessons for Policy -

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  • Jahn, Vera

    (Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg)

Abstract

Politicians frequently emphasize the importance of Mittelstand firms for the economy, thereby parti- cularly referring to their enormous engagement in training apprentices. However, there is yet almost no empirical evidence on the question whether Mittelstand firms are in fact excessively active in trai- ning apprentices. This paper contributes to the literature by studying whether the relative importance of owner-managed SMEs has an effect on firms’ apprenticeship activity. Using a cross section of West German NUTS-3-regions, we find a significantly positive relation between the relative importance of Mittelstand firms and apprenticeship activity on the regional level. However, on the national level an increase in the share of Mittelstand firms turns out to be without effect on apprenticeship activity.

Suggested Citation

  • Jahn, Vera, 2015. "The Importance of Mittelstand Firms for Regional Apprenticeship Activity - Lessons for Policy -," Working Paper 158/2015, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:vhsuwp:2015_158
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    10. Jahn, Vera & Berlemann, Michael, 2014. "Governance, Firm Size and Innovative Capacity: Regional Empirical Evidence for Germany," VfS Annual Conference 2014 (Hamburg): Evidence-based Economic Policy 100412, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pahnke, André & Welter, Friederike, 2019. "The German Mittelstand: Antithesis to the Silicon Valley entrepreneurship model?," Working Papers 01/19, Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn.
    2. Erik E. Lehmann & Julian Schenkenhofer & Katharine Wirsching, 2019. "Hidden champions and unicorns: a question of the context of human capital investment," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 359-374, February.
    3. Basco, Rodrigo & Suwala, Lech, 2021. "Spatial familiness and family spatialities—searching for fertile ground between family business and regional studies," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 7-32.
    4. Beckmann, Klaus B., 2017. "Bounded rationality in differential games," Working Paper 178/2017, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg.
    5. André Pahnke & Friederike Welter, 2019. "The German Mittelstand: antithesis to Silicon Valley entrepreneurship?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 345-358, February.
    6. Bantle, Melissa & Muijs, Matthias, 2018. "A new price test in geographic market definition – an application to german retail gasoline market," Working Paper 180/2018, Helmut Schmidt University, Hamburg.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    apprenticeship; Mittelstand firms; owner-management; SMEs; Germany; regional spillovers;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models
    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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