This study is embedded in the work of the joint project Mod-Block-GDR, which deals with the unequal economic developments of the regions in East and West Germany. The research work will be presented at the scientific conference "Transformation Research: Poland and East Germany in Comparison", which will be hosted by members of the Mod-Block-GDR network on 18-20 June 2020 at Gdańsk, Poland.
Thore Sören Bischoff is a PhD student at the Institute of Economics for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Handicrafts at the Georg-August-University of Göttingen (ifh). His research focuses on the institutional factors influencing innovation processes.