Hidden Champions and their integration in rural regional innovation systems: Insights from Germany

Carsten Rietmann · 2021 · ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography

Summary. Hidden Champions—little-known global market leaders—show weak integration into rural German regional innovation systems despite their high innovation capacity. The study of 57 expert interviews reveals that family ownership, firm size, organizational structure, and local economic conditions shape integration levels. Family businesses integrate more than other firm types, though with significant variation, primarily because their international focus and technological specialization limit local knowledge exchange.

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@article{rietmann-2021-hidden-champions-their-integration-rural,
  title   = {Hidden Champions and their integration in rural regional innovation systems: Insights from Germany},
  author  = {Carsten Rietmann},
  journal = {ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography},
  year    = {2021},
  doi     = {10.1515/zfw-2021-0024},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1515/zfw-2021-0024}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Hidden Champions and their integration in rural regional innovation systems: Insights from Germany
AU  - Carsten Rietmann
JO  - ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography
PY  - 2021
DO  - 10.1515/zfw-2021-0024
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1515/zfw-2021-0024
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.1515/zfw-2021-0024

Countries

Germany

Regions

Europe

Categories

regional-innovation-systems, entrepreneurship

Added

2026-04-28