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Dr Eva Dettmann

Dr Eva Dettmann
Current Position

since 3/18

Deputy Head of the Centre for Evidence-based Policy Advice (IWH-CEP)

Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) – Member of the Leibniz Association

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Research Interests
  • empirical evaluation of regional and innovation policy
  • efficiency of economic policy
  • applied microeconometrics

Eva Dettmann joined the institute in 2002. She is deputy head of the Centre for Evidence-based Policy Advice (IWH-CEP) since 2018. Her research focuses on microeconometric analyses, especially the evaluation of economic policy measures.

Eva Dettmann earned a diploma and doctoral degree from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

Your contact

Dr Eva Dettmann
Dr Eva Dettmann
- Department Centre for Evidence-based Policy Advice
Send Message +49 345 7753-855

Publications

Citations
483

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Employment Effects of Investment Grants and Firm Heterogeneity

Eva Dettmann Antje Weyh Mirko Titze

in: Regional Studies, forthcoming

Abstract

This study estimates the firm-level employment effects of investment grants in Germany. In addition to the average treatment effect on the treated, we examine discrimination in the funding rules as a potential source of effect heterogeneity. We combine a staggered difference-in-differences approach with a matching procedure at the cohort level. The findings reveal a positive effect of investment grants on employment development. The subsample analyses yield strong evidence for heterogeneous effects based on firm characteristics and the economic environment. They highlight the responsibility of the local funding authorities to clarify ex ante which goals of a funding programme are most important in their regions.

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The Regional Effects of a Place-based Policy – Causal Evidence from Germany

Matthias Brachert Eva Dettmann Mirko Titze

in: Regional Science and Urban Economics, Vol. 79 (November), 2019

Abstract

The German government provides discretionary investment grants to structurally weak regions in order to reduce regional inequality. We use a regression discontinuity design that exploits an exogenous discrete jump in the probability of regional actors to receive investment grants to identify the causal effects of the policy. We find positive effects of the programme on district-level gross value-added and productivity growth, but no effects on employment and gross wage growth.

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The Impact of Innovation and Innovation Subsidies on Economic Development in German Regions

Uwe Cantner Eva Dettmann Alexander Giebler Jutta Günther Maria Kristalova

in: Regional Studies, Vol. 53 (9), 2019

Abstract

Public innovation subsidies in a regional environment are expected to unfold a positive economic impact over time. The focus of this paper is on an assessment of the long-run impact of innovation and innovation subsidies in German regions. This is scrutinized by an estimation approach combining panel model and time-series characteristics and using regional data for the years 1980–2014. The results show that innovation and innovation subsidies in the long run have a positive impact on the economic development of regions in Germany. This supports a long-term strategy for regional and innovation policy.

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Working Papers

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A Helping Hand, but not a Lift. EU Cohesion Policy and Regional Development

Eva Dettmann Sarah Fritz

in: IWH Discussion Papers, No. 18, 2025

Abstract

This study provides new evidence on the impact of the EU Cohesion Policy on income growth in less developed regions. Our panel includes data from all European regions for the years 1989-2020. Using a fuzzy Regression Discontinuity Design, we model treatment dynamics by applying a random effects estimator. Based on digitized historical data, we precisely replicate the policy rule and correctly classify the regions’ eligibility status. Results show that the policy has a moderate positive effect on GDP per capita growth in the targeted regions.

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Investment Grants: Curse or Blessing for Employment?

Eva Dettmann

in: IWH Discussion Papers, No. 12, 2025

Abstract

In this study, establishment-level employment effects of investment grants in Germany are estimated. In addition to the quantitative effects, I provide empirical evidence of funding effects on different aspects of employment quality (earnings, qualifications, and job security) for the period 2004 to 2020. The database combines project-level treatment data, establishment-level information on firm characteristics and employee structure, and regional information at the district-level. For the estimations, I combine the difference-in-differences approach of Callaway and Sant’Anna (2021) with ties matching at the cohort level. The estimations yield positive effects on the number of employees, but point to contradicting effects of investment grants on different aspects of employment quality.

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flexpaneldid: A Stata Toolbox for Causal Analysis with Varying Treatment Time and Duration

Eva Dettmann Alexander Giebler Antje Weyh

in: IWH Discussion Papers, No. 3, 2020

Abstract

The paper presents a modification of the matching and difference-in-differences approach of Heckman et al. (1998) for the staggered treatment adoption design and a Stata tool that implements the approach. This flexible conditional difference-in-differences approach is particularly useful for causal analysis of treatments with varying start dates and varying treatment durations. Introducing more flexibility enables the user to consider individual treatment periods for the treated observations and thus circumventing problems arising in canonical difference-in-differences approaches. The open-source flexpaneldid toolbox for Stata implements the developed approach and allows comprehensive robustness checks and quality tests. The core of the paper gives comprehensive examples to explain the use of the commands and its options on the basis of a publicly accessible data set.

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