1. Refereed Journal // 2025

    Patents, Trade Secrets and Performance Aspirations in Family Firms

    We investigate whether family ownership is associated with a preference for patents or trade secrets. Using a sample of S&P 500 firms, we show that family ownership is negatively associated with patenting and…

  2. Refereed Journal // 2025

    Contact time in GP Care: Descriptive patterns and a scoping review of the literature

    Background

    Contact time in general practice (GP) refers to the duration a physician spends with a patient during an appointment. There are significant differences in contact times across OECD countries, raising…

  3. ZEW-Finanzmarktreport // 2025

    Mai 2025

    • ZEW-Index erholt sich, Saldo wieder im positiven Bereich
    • Eurozone: Deutliche Aufhellung der Konjunkturerwartungen
    • USA: Konjunkturerwartungen steigen leicht an
    • China: Stabilisierung der Konjunkturerwartungen nach…
  4. ZEW Annual Report // 2025

    2024

    2024 was a challenging year for all actors in politics, business and civil society: Against the backdrop of a turbulent international scene marked by Donald Trump’s re-election and ongoing conflict in Ukraine…

  5. Non-Refereed Journal // 2025

    Start-ups als Innovationstreiber stärken

    Die Entwicklung von Unternehmensgründungen im Verarbeitende Gewerbe in Deutschland ist rückläufig. Anders sieht es bei technologieintensiven Dienstleistungen, insbesondere im Bereich Softwareentwicklung und…

  6. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-026 // 2025

    The Effects of Public Procurement Requirements and Voluntary Standards on Environmental Product Innovation

    Public procurement requirements and voluntary standards are increasingly used to foster environmental product innovations. However, quantitative evidence on their individual and joint effects is absent, and…

  7. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-025 // 2025

    Hospital Competition, Service Provision and Quality – Evidence From Maternity Units

    Maternity unit closures are increasingly common in areas with low birth rates, resulting in diminished competition between units. We examine how competition affects the quality and amenities of the remaining…

  8. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-024 // 2025

    Local Policy Misperceptions and Investment: Experimental Evidence From Firm Decision Makers

    We study firm responses to local policies through a survey experiment, providing randomized information on the competitiveness of business tax rates and highway access in their headquarters’ municipality. Firms…

  9. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-023 // 2025

    Sorting, Status, and Shadow Education: How Track Placement Shapes Parental Investment

    Educational tracking—separating students into tracks or schools by ability — is commonplace, but access and preferences for top programs often depend on socioeconomic status (SES), reinforcing inequality. We…