In view of Germany's lackluster economic performance during the 1990s, i. e. , at a time when the American economy was booming, a relative lack of venture capital vis-a-vis the United States was lamented in Germany. Ger­ man government programs meant to help raise venture capital in order to fi­ nance "predominantly young, technologically innovative, unlisted small- and medium-sized enterprises which, despite low current profitability, are consid­ ered to have a suflficiently large growth potential," (Deutsche Bundesbank) were to a large extent unsuccessful since their inception in the 1960s. It is well-known that Germans tend to be more risk-averse than Americans, and it is therefore no wonder that the author of this book, Arnd Plagge, finds that Germany's venture capital market is relatively underdeveloped when compared to its counterpart in the United States. There can be no doubt that due to its investment focus on innovative start-up companies, venture capital can play an important role in fostering economic growth and the creation of modern high-skill jobs, especially by spurring the development of entirely new industries and products from such diverse and dynamic realms as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology as well as information and communication technology.

Venture capital is widely regarded as an important driver of economic growth. While the USA has the largest and most sophisticated venture capital market in the world, its German counterpart has only recently begun to mature, and numerous governmental schemes exist that are meant to help speed up the development of the German market. Yet, little is known about the efficiency and the impact of these efforts.Arnd Plagge evaluates public policy for venture capital in the USA and Germany and presents a comprehensive study of the American and the German market for venture capital. Based on an extensive review of theoretical and empirical evidence, he shows that current German public policies aimed at fostering venture capital activity are severely flawed and that only a reversal of priorities, away from supply-side policies and towards a demand-oriented stance, will yield real payoffs.

The nature and role of venture capital.- Theoretical perspectives on public policy for venture capital.- Venture capital in the U.S..- Venture capital in Germany.- Venture capital in the U.S. and Germany in comparison.- IPOs and venture capital.- Supply and demand in perspective.- Nothing ventured?.