David B. Audretsch

Indiana University Bloomington, WZB Berlin Social Science Center

Papers

Total Citations

159

H-Index

About

David B. Audretsch is a towering figure in the study of entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic geography. His foundational work, particularly on the relationship between firm size and technological change, has reshaped how we understand industrial dynamics. In his highly cited 1991 paper, "Flexible technology and firm size," Audretsch challenged conventional wisdom by exploring how smaller firms can leverage new technologies to compete, laying the groundwork for decades of research on the role of SMEs in innovation. More recently, his 2022 study, "Adopting new technology is a distant dream? The risks of implementing Industry 4.0 in emerging economy SMEs," has garnered over 120 citations, addressing the critical barriers faced by smaller firms in developing economies as they confront the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This work highlights the unique risks—from cybersecurity to resource constraints—that threaten to widen the technological divide. With a career spanning over three decades and thousands of citations, Audretsch’s contributions have profoundly influenced policy and practice, making him an essential voice for anyone studying how innovation, scale, and place intersect in a rapidly changing global economy.