Stiftung Marktwirtschaft

What Stiftung Marktwirtschaft does

Stiftung Marktwirtschaft is a non-profit economic policy think tank founded in 1982 in Kronberg, Germany, and headquartered in Berlin (Charlottenstraße 60). The organization operates independently of political parties and organized interest groups, with a stated mission to advance the Social Market Economy through rigorous, market-economy-based policy analysis. It is led by Prof. Dr. Michael Eilfort (Executive Board) and chaired by Prof. Dr. Theo Siegert (Foundation Council), with Prof. Dr. Ann Zimmermann overseeing data protection matters.

The foundation's core intellectual output consists of publication series including Blickpunkt Marktwirtschaft (quarterly journal), Kronberger Kreis-Studien (scientific studies), Argumente zu Marktwirtschaft und Politik (policy arguments), Positionspapiere (position papers), and Tagungsberichte (conference reports), all distributed as free PDF downloads. Its scientific advisory board, the Kronberger Kreis, comprises economics professors who author studies and contribute policy concepts. The foundation operates a recurring event program comprising Tagungen (conferences), Webinare, and the annual Jahrestreffen, including signature events such as the Kadener Gespräche and Bundestag-based Schuldenbremse Tagungen.

Revenue is generated through three streams: publication-related sales, donations and membership support from "numerous donors and members," and event participation fees. The foundation receives no state funding. It serves three primary constituencies: German government and parliamentary decision-makers (vertical primary), academia and the research community (vertical secondary), and members, donors, and engaged citizens (horizontal secondary). Distribution channels include the foundation website, newsletter, LinkedIn and YouTube, a separate blog (markt-ruf.de), and earned media through guest commentaries in FAZ and Handelsblatt and appearances on phoenix TV.

Name

Stiftung Marktwirtschaft

Legal name

Stiftung Marktwirtschaft

Website

https://stiftung-marktwirtschaft.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stiftung Marktwirtschaft is a Berlin-based, independent non-profit economic policy think tank founded in 1982 that produces market-economy-based policy research for German government, parliament, and academia, financed through donations, publications, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Policy Research / Think Tank Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Education Economics, Finance & Funding Policy Research (EDADADAE)

Keywords

• Economic policy research
• Think tank publications
• Policy analysis reports
• Generational accounting studies
• Ordoliberal policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Publication sales and fee-based content: The foundation generates revenue from the sale of publications. No free content model is described; publications such as Argumente, Kronberger Kreis-Studien, and other series are distributed as PDFs, with some available for free download.
2. Donations and membership support: The foundation is financed through support from numerous donors and members. As a non-profit, it accepts charitable contributions and membership fees to fund its operations and research activities.
3. Event participation fees: Revenue is partially generated through events such as tagungen (conferences), webinars, and the annual Jahrestreffen (annual meeting), which serve as platforms for knowledge dissemination and community engagement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stiftung Marktwirtschaft is an independent German economic policy think tank that produces market-economy-oriented policy research, publishes position papers, studies, and a quarterly journal (Blickpunkt Marktwirtschaft), and convenes conferences and webinars for policymakers, academics, and the public. Its core output is intellectual: independent policy analysis on fiscal sustainability, social security, competition, European integration, and AI/digital policy, supported by the Kronberger Kreis scientific advisory board of economists.

Product overview

Stiftung Marktwirtschaft is a market-economics think tank founded in 1982, organized as a non-profit foundation. The organization does not offer a technology product but rather provides intellectual products and services centered on economic research and policy analysis. Its portfolio consists of three interconnected offerings: (1) Publikationen – research publications across multiple series including Blickpunkt Marktwirtschaft (quarterly journal), Kronberger Kreis-Studien (scientific studies), Argumente zu Marktwirtschaft und Politik (policy arguments), Positionspapiere (position papers), and Tagungsberichte (conference reports); (2) Veranstaltungen – organized events including Tagungen (conferences), Webinare (webinars), and Jahrestreffen (annual meetings); and (3) the Kronberger Kreis – a scientific advisory board of economics professors that develops and publishes policy concepts. These offerings are interconnected, with Kronberger Kreis members authoring studies and position papers, events serving as platforms for presenting and discussing findings, and publications disseminating the foundation's analytical work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Publikationen (Policy Publications Series)

Quantifiable outcome

• The foundation's 2025 Update of the Generational Balance Sheet (Generationenbilanz) shows Germany's implicit debt burden rising to 19.5 trillion euros (454.1% of GDP), with more than six-sevenths of total state debt being implicit (future spending commitments), a figure widely cited in German fiscal policy debates.

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.

• Forschungszentrum Generationenverträge, Universität FreiburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStiftung Marktwirtschaft collaborates with the Research Center on Generational Contracts (Forschungszentrum Generationenvertraege) at the University of Freiburg to produce its annual generational accounting update (Generationenbilanz). This partnership provides the analytical framework and methodology for calculating the long-term sustainability gap of German public finances, including explicit and implicit state debts. The 2025 update was co-authored by Bernd Raffelhueschen, Sebastian Schultis, Sebastian Stramka, and Stefan Seuffert, combining the foundation's policy expertise with the university's academic research capabilities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bertelsmann Stiftung: Large German private foundation running a much broader portfolio of policy, education, and economic research programs. Comparable as a non-party-affiliated policy producer but operates at materially larger scale across more domains.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung: CDU-affiliated political foundation running economic, political, and European policy programs. Comparable as a producer of policy research targeting German and EU decision-makers, though politically affiliated rather than independent.

Direct peers

• Bruegel: Brussels-based European economic policy think tank producing independent analysis on euro area fiscal rules, EU debt, and integration. Directly comparable to Stiftung Marktwirtschaft's European integration publications and competes for the same EU-policy influence space.
• ifo Institut: Leading Munich-based economic research institute publishing widely cited indices, policy analyses, and economic forecasts. Comparable as a producer of rigorous economic policy research influencing German public debate.
• DIW Berlin (Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung): Berlin-based economic research institute producing policy-oriented empirical analysis on fiscal, labor, and social policy. Comparable scale and topic overlap, serving similar policymaker and media audiences.
• Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft (IW Köln): German employers' association economic think tank producing policy analysis on fiscal, labor, and competition topics for the same Bundestag and policymaker audience as Stiftung Marktwirtschaft. Closest direct peer by mandate and policy domain.
• ZEW (Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung): Mannheim-based economic policy research center focused on European integration, fiscal policy, and innovation — overlapping strongly with Stiftung Marktwirtschaft's European integration and competition policy work.
• IMK (Institut für Makroökonomie und Konjunkturforschung): Macroeconomic policy institute producing fiscal, labor, and social policy research aimed at German policymakers. Comparable in research output and target audience, though politically positioned on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Emerging players

• Forum New Economy: Berlin-based economic think tank working on macroeconomic, fiscal, and structural reform topics. Comparable in mission and German-policy focus, but operating at a comparable small scale and competing for the same donor and media mindshare.
• Dezernat Zukunft: Newer German economic policy institute focused on progressive economic reform, industrial policy, and climate economics. Comparable as a smaller, agile economic think tank targeting similar policymaker and media audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StiftungM
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDwHlI2nkeZ3p87YAZWIjcg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftung-marktwirtschaft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Stiftung Marktwirtschaft