Dr. René Leicht graduated in Sociology and Political Science. He led the research unit "New self-employment" at the ifm Mannheim from 2007 to 2019 and was principal investigator in research projects for various federal and state ministries (among them the federal ministries for the economy, education and research, and families, senior citizens, women, and the youth) as well as foundations and other public and private institutions. Despite his retirement in 2019, he continues to contribute to the ifm's work as senior consultant.
In his work, Dr. Leicht has been examining the reasons and consequences of social inequality in important social positions. Among other aspects, this includes the differences in the labor market access across social groups, in particular with respect to self-employment. The focus of his research and publications therefore lies on the self-employment of migrants and women as well as on questions regarding the change of different types of employment along social and economic developments.
Research interests
- Migrant entrepreneurship
- Small business research
- Self-employment and entrepreneurship
- Gender research
- Labor market and employment
