Is It Still All About Access? Digital Entrepreneurship and Digital Divide in Core and Peripheral Regions of Germany.

Building on earlier studies of the digital divide, urban-rural disparities, and regional innovation systems, this paper analyses the state of the digital divide with a view to digital business growth and identifies the key enabling factors, providing a comparison of core and peripheral regions of Germany. It highlights differences between core and peripheral regions, showing the considerable roles of education and qualification levels, as well as socioeconomic factors, while providing limited confirmation of the often-suggested roles of digital infrastructure and of peripheral regions’ ability to benefit from the local environment. The paper contributes to the current debate on the digital divide by providing additional insights into its relation to digital entrepreneurship and the factors that promote its development.