Michael Fritsch & Michael Wyrwich 
Regional Trajectories of Entrepreneurship, Knowledge, and Growth 
The Role of History and Culture

This book offers a dynamic perspective on regional entrepreneurship, knowledge, innovation and economic growth, with a particular focus on the role that history and culture play. The authors provide comprehensive empirical analyses offering unique insights into the spatial patterns of long-term differences of regional self-employment, new business formation, cultures of entrepreneurship, innovation activities, and development. Policy implications from the analyses and a discussion of important avenues for future research complete this unique book combining history, culture, and entrepreneurship.







This is a superb book with an original, historical take on entrepreneurship and regional development. It is a landmark study on Germany showing that regional levels of entrepreneurship are persistent and resilient, despite many disruptive shocks.






Ron Boschma, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, and Stavanger University, Norway






This book presents the distilled wisdom of two leading authorities on the link between entrepreneurship and economic prosperity at a regional level. Although its prime empirical focus is on Germany there are clear lessons for scholars and policy-makers in all high-income countries.






David J Storey, University of Sussex, UK

Table of Content

Introduction.- Entrepreneurship culture and regional development.- Setting the stage: Self-employment and new business formation in Germany 1907, 1925 and Today.- The persistence of regional entrepreneurship.- The case of East Germany.- Regional entrepreneurship culture and growth.- The role of knowledge.- Traditions of self-employment and the entrepreneurial personality profile of the population.- Summary and outlook: What can be learned?

About the author

Michael Fritsch is Senior Professor of Economics at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, and Research Professor at the Halle Institute for Economic Reseach (IWH). He is also Associate Editor of the academic journals Regional Studies and Small Business Economics. Michael Fritsch has received his degrees in economics (Diplom Volkswirt, Ph.D., Habilitation) from the Technical University of Berlin. From 1992-2006, he was Professor of Economics and Chair of Economic Policy, at the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, and from 2006-2018 he was Chair of Business Dynamics, Innovation, and Economic Change at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The main fields of his recent research are entrepreneurship and innovation. His publications comprise several hundred articles in scholarly journals and in edited volumes as well as diverse books. 






Michael Wyrwich is Interim Full Professor for Business Dynamics, Innovation, and Economic Changeat the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany. He serves as member of the editorial board of the academic journal Review of Regional Research and as a member of the editorial review board of Small Business Economics. Michael Wyrwich has received his degrees in economics (Diplom Volkswirt, Ph.D., Habilitation) from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The main fields of his recent research are entrepreneurship. His publications comprise more than 30 articles in scholarly journals and in edited volumes.