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Imagined futures implicitly shape how a city's infrastructure develops in the present. Because smart grids are still in the making, it is important to understand which urban futures are being associated with them. This paper asks how urban smart grid futures are being imagined through narratives and material practices in the city of Berlin and which notions of urban community these imagined futures stand for. Drawing on the concepts of socio-technical imaginaries and discourse, the paper unravels how relevant actors envision Berlin's smart grid future, focusing especially on the role of urban "prosumage" and micro-grid-neighborhoods in the everyday production, consumption, and management of electricity in the city. The paper concludes that while one dominant imaginary prevails, this dominant imaginary is built on competing and in part contradictory narratives about the role of households, neighborhoods and the city in urban energy transitions. The analysis is based on a case study of three so-called urban laboratories for the development and implementation of smart grids in Berlin. It draws on policy documents and interviews with relevant stakeholders from Berlin's energy, ICT, and urban development sectors, including representatives of incumbent utility companies, small energy entrepreneurs, public authorities, the research community, and civil society organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) are currently a major theme of entrepreneurship research and policies designed to support entrepreneurship. However, the role of specific policy instruments in EEs often remains unclear. This paper contributes to research on that topic by analysing the role of start-up competitions (SUCs) in the contrasting German case study regions Berlin and Hanover. Based on 45 qualitative interviews with participants in two public SUCs, their organizers, and ecosystem experts, the role that the SUCs play in each EE is investigated. Both analysed SUCs serve as networking events that can be described as 'anchor events' for specific parts of their ecosystems. They provide strong support for participants and help local entrepreneurship support offices connect and allocate their resources efficiently. However, sub-networks of entrepreneurs and actors who are not connected to the SUCs are identified. The SUCs seem to work primarily for public actors, 'solid' entrepreneurs, and university spin-offs. International venture capitalists, wealthy business angels, and high growth firms are not involved in the competitions. Both analysed regions influence the perceived value of their competitions, e.g. in terms of the industrial expertise of jurors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific studies do much to embrace the issue of social activity among immigrants, as well as their participation in projects of various types, in both institutional and non-institutional dimensions. Nevertheless, research into the activity of the Polish community in German cities has only rarely been undertaken. In this context, the studies carried out by the authors are of importance as they make clear an intensification of social activity among Polish immigrants in Berlin and Hamburg. An influx of new migrants, attracted to Germany not only by relevant economic motivations, but also by a perceived need for of self-development and greater acquaintanceship with new communities in place, tends to allow German institutions to take more interest in immigrant groups, while also sustaining activity within newly-created networks of immigrant organisations. The consequences of all that are for the social and cultural activity engaged in within the Polish community in the cities to become more and more visible and diverse. Although it is relatively new for these behaviours to assume such a large scale, the observed intensity and spatial scope may sustain the conclusion that even the near-future will bring a significant increase in visibility for the Polish community vis-à-vis both German citizens and immigrant groups. Specifically, the work detailed in the present paper has mainly sought to identify socio-cultural activity among the Polish migrants present in both Berlin and Hamburg. This involved the authors in efforts to ascertain: (1) factors determining the socio-cultural activity of Polish communities in the cities studied; (2) any noticeable differences between Berlin and Hamburg when it comes to the social activity undertaken by Polish migrants; (3) the directions of development that characterise the institutional and non-institutional activity of the Polish community present in the cities in question (which were selected in line with the high concentrations of Polish communities in both, as well as differences in periods of influx and of a socio-cultural and economic nature). Only a relatively small number of scientific studies have ever been devoted to the social involvement of Polish migrants in the cities of Berlin and Hamburg. Relevant research material was collected in 2019, in the course of 7 study visits to Berlin and Hamburg. The authors initiated the research procedure by way of focus-group interviews with 12 members of Polish-diaspora organisations. These respondents represented different age groups and waves of migration, and also occupied different socio--professional positions. 15 in-depth expert interviews were then conducted in Berlin and Hamburg. The survey was participated in by representatives of Polish authorities, German academics, founders and members of immigrant associations, Polish entrepreneurs and representatives of local media. Respondent data was anonymised and coded. A background for the qualitative research was offered by analysis of available statistical information obtained from the German Federal Statistical Office and Statistics Poland (GUS). Research conducted for the purposes of this article leads to a conclusion that the social activity undertaken by Poles in Berlin and Hamburg is highly diversified, while that in Berlin is developing intensively and in many different directions. Analysis of material collected sustains the conclusion that the Polish communities in question pursue clearly different policies when it comes to the activation and opening-up of Polish organisations. While the activities of Poles living in Berlin are targeted at Poles, Germans and other ethnic groups, those characterising the Polish community in Hamburg are rather exclusive. Moreover, while the offer of the local Polish institutions in Berlin is relatively wide; in Hamburg, social and cultural activity is limited to the learning of Polish, promotion of Polish culture and maintenance of Polish identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed by the United Nations are a call to action for policy-makers around the globe to tackle grand societal challenges. Sustainability start-ups can help meet some of the most pressing challenges. Regions of start-up activity are commonly referred to as entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs), although the share of sustainability start-ups varies markedly from one EE to another. While literature on EEs is abundant, scholarly work on sustainability-oriented EEs, i.e. those with a high share of sustainability start-ups, is still relatively scarce. In particular, there is limited understanding of the reasons why some EEs have a higher share of sustainability start-ups than others. The present paper considers this gap in the literature by contrasting the EEs of Berlin and Lagos, which have very different shares of sustainability start-ups. Forty interviews conducted with founders, investors, hubs and government representatives in both EEs showed that particularly successful start-ups in an EE, so-called lighthouses, play an important role in shaping the cultural, social and material attributes of an EE. This means that the sustainability orientation of these lighthouses is instrumental in creating environments in which sustainability start-ups can flourish. Moreover, lighthouses can attract new talent and resources to a region, which further underlines their role as accelerators of an EE towards sustainability. Overall, the lighthouses are a critical factor in explaining the share of sustainability start-ups. Policy-makers can strengthen this effect by giving access to extra resources and opportunities to promising start-ups and by showcasing their success. • Conditions in an entrepreneurial ecosystem can help sustainability start-ups. • Conditions for sustainability start-ups in Lagos and Berlin are compared. • Lagos is more sustainability-oriented than Berlin, but similar drivers exist. • In particular, successful entrepreneurs become leaders (lighthouses) in an ecosystem. • Lighthouses help shape the cultural, social and material conditions in an ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]