Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft

What Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft does

Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM) is a German economic policy think tank and advocacy organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Berlin (Georgenstraße 22, 10117 Berlin) as a private limited liability company (GmbH). It is led by Managing Director Thorsten Alsleben and operates with a 25-year track record of promoting the social market economy model through research, publications, and high-profile advocacy campaigns. INSM's core outputs are content and policy products rather than technology: the Ökonomenblog aggregates commentary from economists including Prof. Dr. Justus Haucap, Dr. Stefan Schöcke, Dr. Jochen Pimpertz, and Dr. Benedikt Schmal; the Bildungsmonitor is an annual education competitiveness report; the Dashboard zur Wirtschaftslage provides real-time economic indicators; and the '20 Fakten zur Wirtschaftslage' publication series compiles reform-suasive statistics. Major advocacy vehicles include the SOS campaign (a coalition of 68 German industry associations), the Bürokratie-Museum (a satirical museum that ran April-July 2024 and now offers a virtual 3D tour), the Wirtschaftswarntag national action day (January 29, 2025), and the ZEIT-ZU-WENDEN-BUS mobile event series interviewing policymakers in Berlin.

INSM serves three primary constituencies: German policymakers and government (policy research and reform proposals), German businesses and industry associations (economic advocacy and coalition mobilization), and the broader German public and media (public education and awareness campaigns). Distribution is multi-channel through insm.de, newsletter, Instagram, press releases, and event series. The organization explicitly provides all publications, blog posts, and events as free public resources with no commercial products or services sold. Economics rely on what appears to be membership fees, sponsorships, or private donations, though the funding structure is not disclosed in the source material. INSM has received the 2025 Politikaward and ADC-Award (with two 'Nägel' plus three additional recognitions) for the Bürokratie-Museum campaign, signaling that its communications work has reached industry-recognized quality. The organization has no stated product technology, no proprietary AI/ML capabilities, no disclosed funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity.

Name

Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft

Legal name

INSM Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft GmbH

Website

https://insm.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM) is a German non-profit economic policy think tank founded in 2000 that advocates for social market economy reform through research, publications, and advocacy campaigns targeting policymakers, business associations, and the German public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Policy Advocacy and Research

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAMAJ

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Trade & Economic Development

Keywords

• Economic policy advocacy
• Think tank research
• Policy reform campaigns
• Economic analysis publications
• Industry coalition building

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

INSM is a German economic policy think tank and advocacy organization that produces research, policy commentary, advocacy campaigns, and public awareness initiatives to promote social market economy reforms. It convenes coalitions of industry associations, publishes expert commentary on its Ökonomenblog, runs reform campaigns (Zeit zu wenden, Wirtschaftswende, SOS, Bürokratie-Museum), and publishes recurring reports such as the Bildungsmonitor. All offerings are provided free of charge as part of its non-profit advocacy mission.

Product overview

Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM) is a German economic policy think tank and advocacy organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of policy communications and research products: the Ökonomenblog serves as a content platform for expert economic commentary; various advocacy campaigns including 'Zeit zu wenden,' 'Wirtschaftswende,' and 'SOS' promote economic reform agendas; the Bürokratie-Museum is a notable public awareness campaign; data tools like the Dashboard zur Wirtschaftslage provide economic monitoring; and publications including Bildungsmonitor and the '20 Fakten' series deliver policy research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ökonomenblog: The INSM economist blog offering insights from renowned economics experts on topics related to social market economy, digitalization, and sustainability.
• Bildungsmonitor
• Wirtschaftswarntag
• Bürokratie-Museum

Products and services

• Ökonomenblog (Economists Blog)

Quantifiable outcome

• 146 billion euros in annual economic losses attributed to bureaucracy (ifo Institute)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 68 German Industry Associations (SOS Campaign)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SOS (Die deutsche Wirtschaft ist in Gefahr) campaign united 68 German industry associations in calling for urgent economic reform. Partner associations include employers' groups and trade associations from sectors including manufacturing, construction, trade, agriculture, and services. The coalition published a joint 'Sofortprogramm' (immediate program) for saving the German economic location.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IMK – Institut für Makroökonomie und Konjunkturforschung (Hans-Böckler-Stiftung): Labor-aligned macroeconomic research institute producing policy analysis on growth, distribution, and labor markets. Comparable to INSM as a German economic policy research and advocacy organization on the opposing political side.
• ifo Institut – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung: Germany's leading economic research institute, producing the very ifo data INSM cites on bureaucracy costs. Closely comparable as a Munich-based economic research and policy advisory outfit influencing German economic policy debates.
• ZEW – Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung: Economic research institute producing policy-relevant studies on taxation, labor markets, and industrial competitiveness. Comparable to INSM in producing evidence-based economic research aimed at German policymakers.
• DIW Berlin (Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung): Berlin-based economic think tank publishing weekly economic analysis and policy commentary. Direct peer given shared Berlin location, economic policy focus, and recurring engagement with German legislative debates.
• Stiftung Familienunternehmen: German think tank representing family-owned businesses, producing research on taxation, regulation, and economic policy from a pro-business perspective. Closely comparable in advocacy positioning and policy focus on competitiveness and reform.

Broad incumbents

• Bertelsmann Stiftung: Large, established German private foundation running major policy research programs including economic, education, and social policy initiatives — a broader incumbent in the same German policy advisory space that occasionally addresses overlapping topics like the Bildungsmonitor.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS): Major German political foundation affiliated with the CDU party, conducting policy research and advocacy across economic, social, and foreign policy. Comparable as a politically-aligned think tank with established media presence and government engagement.

Emerging players

• Agora Energiewende: German think tank focused on energy transition and climate-economic policy with strong public communications. Emerging player with similar advocacy-style operations targeting German policymakers on a different but adjacent topic.
• Roman Herre / Finanzwende (finanzwende): German civil-society think tank and advocacy organization focused on financial policy reform. Comparable as a German advocacy-driven think tank with active campaign model targeting policymakers and the public.

Others

• Deutsche Wirtschaftsverbände koordiniert (BDA / DIHK confederations): Confederations of German employer and industry associations that are direct partners of INSM in the SOS campaign. Relevant ecosystem participants that share INSM's pro-reform agenda and coalition partners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/insm_de
• Xx.com/insm
• Facebookfacebook.com/Marktwirtschaft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft