S50-2 Entrepreneurial SMEs and territorial contexts: strategies, impacts, and dynamics
Tracks
Track 1
| Thursday, August 27, 2026 |
| 15:00 - 17:00 |
| Auditorium 148 - Central corpus - Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology |
Details
Chair: Marcus Dejardin, Université de Namur & UCLouvain; Jean Bonnet, Université de Caen Normandie; Mauricio Castillo-Vergara, Universidad Alberto Hurtado; Domingo García Pérez de Lema, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena
The discussant for each presentation is the presenter of the next paper in the session. The first presenter is the discussant of the last paper.
Speaker
Prof. Michael Fritsch
Other Academic Position
Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Self-Employment and Regional Development in Disruptive Times - Germany 1895 - 2020
Author(s) - Presenters are indicated with (p)
Prof. Michael Fritsch (p), Prof. Michael Wyrwich
Abstract
We examine the long-term relationship between regional levels of self-employment and economic performance. Regional self-employment rates are highly correlated over long time periods exceeding a century. Persistently high and increasing levels of self-employment are significantly associated with relatively high current levels of Gross Value Added per capita. That such a relationship cannot be found for East Germany is likely due to forty years of an anti-entrepreneurial socialist regime after World War II in this part of the country. We also find a positive relationship between self-employment and patenting that may provide an explanation for the relationship with Gross Value Added.
Prof. Alina Sorgner
Associate Professor
John Cabot University
The effects of entrepreneurship on income inequality in developed countries: In search of mechanisms
Author(s) - Presenters are indicated with (p)
Dr. Eckhardt Bode, Lena Fiedler, Prof. Alina Sorgner (p)
Abstract
This paper contributes to the identification of mechanisms through which entrepreneurship reduces income inequality in developed countries. It shows that higher-quality (innovative, opportunity-driven, or growth-oriented) entrepreneurship reduces inequality by reducing the income share of the upper tail. This could be attributed to Schumpeterian creative destruction. Higher-quality entrepreneurship additionally increases the income share at the lower tail. A possible mechanism could be job creation. Necessity entrepreneurship has contributed less to reducing inequality, by contrast. A striking result is that the creative destruction mechanism weakened significantly after 2010s, pointing toward a declining role of entrepreneurship in reducing income inequality.
Dr. Sofia Wixe
Associate Professor
Jönköping International Business School
In the Middle of the Urban-Rural Divide: Entrepreneurship for Growth Dynamics in Sweden’s Micropolitan Regions
Author(s) - Presenters are indicated with (p)
Dr. Sofia Wixe (p), Pr. Charlotta Mellander, Dr. Lina Bjerke, Dr. Deborah Strumsky
Abstract
This paper examines the role of entrepreneurship in shaping growth dynamics in Sweden’s micropolitan regions, municipalities located between metropolitan cores and rural peripheries. Using longitudinal data for all 290 Swedish municipalities from 2007 to 2023, we estimate dynamic panel models to assess how entrepreneurial activity, primarily measured by new firm entry and micro-firm prevalence, affects population, employment, productivity, and wage growth. Our findings reveal that micropolitan regions exhibit distinct growth patterns. Moreover, a higher share of micro firms is robustly associated with population expansion, while entry rates show limited short-run effects on structural upgrading. These results underline the importance of entrepreneurship for extensive growth margins in intermediate regions and highlight how local conditions mediate its impact, offering insights for place-based strategies aimed at inclusive regional development.
Prof. Marina Van Geenhuizen
Full Professor
TU Delft
