Selected publications by members of the chair. Click a name to expand the list.
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Naeher D, Vollmer S (accepted) General vs. Tailored Information for Technology Adoption: Evidence from a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in India . Journal of Development Economics , Registered Report Stage 1: Proposal Lou S, Ma N, Chen S, Chen Y, Tong G, Hao Z, Huang W, Karoli P, Rahman A, Phiri M, Fan P, Zemene MA, Rahmartani LD, Kanyike AM, Cheng F, Appiah GB, Kim R, Subramanian SV, Vollmer S, Rozelle S, Geldsetzer P, Atun R, Li Z (forthcoming) Preprimary education laws and women’s gender attitudes, empowerment, and reproductive autonomy in 117 low- and middle-income countries . Nature Human Behaviour Ahmad A, Naeher D, Vollmer S (2026) The Political Economy of Patent Buyouts . RAND Journal of Economics , 57(2): 315-333 Bogler L, Varghese S, Sharma A, Atre S, Kumar A, Subramanian SV, Vollmer S (2026) Empowering women in rural Bihar: a mixed methods cluster-randomized controlled trial of a large-scale participatory learning and action programme . World Development Perspectives , 43: 100827 Weber A-C, Bogler L, Kumar A, Vollmer S (2026) Iron-fortified drinking water in Anganwadi Centres in rural India: a randomized controlled trial . Review of Development Economics , 30(4): 2141–2887 Kaplan L, Marx Delaney M, Roddewig P, Singh S, Molina R, Diba F, Tuller D, Bobanski L, Hashmi A, Marthoenis M, Richert K, Ichsan I, Singh V, Muhsin M, Kumar V, Sofyan H, Vollmer S*, Semrau K* (2026) The World Health Organization Safe Childbirth Checklist on Essential Birth Practices and Perinatal Mortality: A Meta-Analysis . JAMA Network Open , 9(2): e2558269 (* joint last authors) Ebert C, Klasen S, Vollmer S (2025) Counting missing women: a reconciliation of flow and stock measures . Journal of Population Economics , 38: 82 Sulola MA, Sibai AM, Damasceno A, Issanov A, Sarria-Santamera A, Orazumbekova B, Norov B, Bicaba B, Houehanou C, Guwatudde D, Kagaruki GB, Gathecha G, Jorgensen JA, Mwangi KJ, Agoudavi K, Sturua L, Mayige MT, Gurung M, Hwalla N, Lunet N, Mwalim O, McClure RW, Quesnel-Crooks S, Bahendeka S, Atun R, Bärnighausen T, Davies J, Flood D, Geldsetzer P, Jaacks L, Manne-Goehler J, Theilmann M, Vollmer S*, Marcus M* (2025) Use of traditional medicine for hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolaemia measured in 71 surveys . Bulletin of the World Health Organization , 103: 662–674 (* joint last authors) Stehl J, Vonderschmidt A, Vollmer S, Alexander P, Jaacks L (2025) Gap between national food production and food-based dietary guidance highlights lack of national self-sufficiency . Nature Food , 6: 571–576 Stehl J, Depenbusch L, Vollmer S (2025) Global poverty and the cost of a healthy diet . Food Policy , 132: 102849 Mittal N, Parigi M, Vollmer S (2025) Social cohesion among Syrian and Turkish children, adolescents, and young adults in Turkey . International Migration , 63: e13346 Marcus M, Reuter A, Rogge L, Vollmer S (2024) The Effect of SMS Reminders on Health Screening Uptake: A Randomized Experiment in Indonesia . Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization , 227: 106715 Weber A-C, Bogler L, Vollmer S (2024) Formal vs. informal mathematics: Assessing numeracy with school and market items in a large sample of school-aged children in North-West Nigeria . Economics of Education Review , 102: 102564 Geldsetzer P, Tisdale R, Stehr L, Michalik F, Lemp J, Aryal K, Damasceno A, Houehanou C, Jorgensen J, Lunet N, Mayige M, Moghaddam S, Mwangi K, Bommer C, Marcus M, Theilmann M, Ebert C, Atun R, Davies J, Flood D, Manne-Goehler J, Seiglie J, Bärnighausen T, Vollmer S (2024) The prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults living in extreme poverty . Nature Human Behaviour , 8: 903–916 Ebert C, Heesemann E, Vollmer S (2024) Two Scalable Interventions to Promote Health and Mental Development in Early Childhood: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Rural India . Journal of Human Capital , 18(1): 140–193 Lemp J, Bommer C, Xie M, Michaelik F, Jani A, Davies J, Bärnighausen T, Vollmer S, Geldsetzer P (2023) Quasi-experimental evaluation of a nationwide diabetes prevention programme . Nature , 624: 138–144 Grafenstein L, Kumar A, Kumar S, Vollmer S (2023) Medium-run impacts of iron-fortified school lunch on anemia, cognition, and learning outcomes in India . Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics , 85(6): 1262–1294 Kuhnt J, Hashmi A, Vollmer S (2023) The effect of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist on essential delivery practices and birth outcomes: Evidence from a pair-wise matched randomized controlled trial in Pakistan . SSM - Population Health , 24: 101495 Ochmann S, von Polenz I, Marcus ME, Theilmann M, Flood D, Agoudavi K, Aryal KK, Bahendeka S, Bicaba B, Bovet P, Caldeira Brant LC, Carvalho Malta D, Damasceno A, Farzadfar F, Gathecha G, Ghanbari A, Gurung M, Guwatudde D, Houehanou C, Houinato D, Hwalla N, Jorgensen JA, Karki KB, Lunet N, Martins J, Mayige M, Moghaddam S, Mwalim O, Mwangi KJ, Norov B, Quesnel-Crooks S, Rezaei N, Sibai AM, Sturua L, Tsabedze L, Wong-McClure R, Davies J, Geldsetzer P, Bärnighausen T, Atun R, Manne-Goehler J, Vollmer S (2023) Diagnostic testing for hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia in low- and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study of 994,185 individuals from 57 nationally representative surveys . The Lancet Global Health , 11(9): e1363–e1371 Ebert C, Vollmer S (2022) Girls unwanted: The role of parents’ child-specific sex preference for children’s early mental development . Journal of Health Economics , 82: 102590 Steinert J, Vasumati Satish R, Stips F, Vollmer S (2022) Commitment or Concealment? Impacts and Use of a Portable Saving Device: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Urban India . Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization , 193: 367–398 Reuter A, Rogge L, Monahan M, Kachapila M, Morton DG, Davies J, Vollmer S on behalf of the NIHR Global Surgery Collaboration (2022) The global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis . British Journal of Surgery , 109(10): 995–1003 Klumpp M, Monfared IG, Vollmer S (2022) Public opinion on global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines: evidence from two nationally representative surveys in Germany and the United States . Vaccine , 40(16): 2457–2461 Theilmann M, Lemp J, Winkler V, Manne-Goehler J, Marcus M, Probst P, Lopez-Arboleda W, Ebert C, Bommer C, Mathur M, Andall-Brereton G, Bahendeka S, Bovet P, Farzadfar F, Ghasemi E, Mayige M, Moghaddam S, Mwangi K, Naderimagham S, Sturua L, Atun R, Davies J, Bärnighausen T, Vollmer S*, Geldsetzer P* (2022) Patterns of tobacco use in low- and middle-income countries by tobacco product and sociodemographic characteristics: a study of nationally representative survey data from 82 countries . The BMJ , 378: e067582 (* joint last authors) Xu Y, Geldsetzer P, Manne-Goehler J, Theilmann M, Marcus M, Zhumadilov Z, Quesnel-Crooks S, Mwalim O, Saeedi Moghaddam S, Koolaji S, Karki K, Farzadfar F, Ebrahimi N, Damasceno A, Aryal K, Agoudavi K, Atun R, Bärnighausen T, Davies J, Jaacks L, Vollmer S*, Probst C* (2022) The Socio-economic Gradient of Alcohol Use: An Analysis of Nationally Representative Survey Data from 55 Low- and Middle-income Countries . The Lancet Global Health , 10(9): e1268–e1280 (* joint last authors) Marcus M, Manne-Goehler J, Theilmann M, Farzadfar F, Moghaddam S, Keykhaei M, Hajebi A, Tschida S, Lemp J, Aryal K, Dunn M, Houehanou C, Silver B, Rohloff P, Atun R, Bärnighausen T, Geldsetzer P, Ramirez-Zea M, Chopra V, Heisler M, Davies J, Huffman M, Vollmer S*, Flood D* (2022) Use of Statins for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in 41 Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Cross-Sectional Study of Nationally Representative, Individual-Level Data . The Lancet Global Health , 10(3): e369–e379 (* joint last authors) Heldring L, Robinson J, Vollmer S (2021) The Long-Run Impact of the Dissolution of the English Monasteries . Quarterly Journal of Economics , 136(4): 2093–2145 Krämer M, Kumar S, Vollmer S (2021) Anemia, diet, and cognitive development: Impact of health information on diet quality and child nutrition in rural India . Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization , 190: 495–523 Krämer M, Kumar S, Vollmer S (2021) Improving Child Health and Cognition: Evidence from a School-Based Nutrition Intervention in India . Review of Economics and Statistics , 103(5): 818–834 Kaplan L, Ichsan, Diba F, Marthoenis, Muhsin, Samadi, Richert K, Susanti S, Sofyan H, Vollmer S (2021) Impact of the World Health Organization Safe Childbirth Checklist on Quality of Care and Birth Outcomes in Aceh, Indonesia: A Cluster-Randomized Clinical Trial . JAMA Network Open , 4(12): e2137168 Marcus ME, Ebert C, Geldsetzer P, Theilmann M, Bicaba BW, Andall-Brereton G, Bovet P, Farzadfar F, Gurung MS, Houehanou C, Malekpour M-R, Martins JS, Moghaddam SS, Mohammadi E, Norov B, Quesnel-Crooks S, Wong-McClure R, Davies JI, Hlatky MA, Atun R, Bärnighausen T, Jaacks LM, Manne-Goehler J, Vollmer S (2021) Unmet Need for Hypercholesterolemia Care in 35 Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Cross-sectional Study of Nationally-representative Surveys . PLOS Medicine , 18(10): e1003841 Bommer C, Horn S, Vollmer S (2020) The effect of routine probiotics supplementation on preterm newborn health: a regression discontinuity analysis . American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , 112(5): 1219–1227 Ogbuoji O, Vollmer S, Jamison D, Bärnighausen T (2020) Economic consequences of better health: insights from clinical data . The BMJ , 370: m2186 Lemp J, De Neve JW, Bussmann H, Chen S, Manne-Goehler J, Theilmann M, Marcus M, Ebert C, Probst C, Tsabedze L, Sturua L, Kibachio JM, Moghaddam S, Martins JS, Houinato D, Houehanou C, Gurung MS, Gathecha G, Farzadfar F, Dryden-Peterson S, Davies JI, Atun R, Vollmer S, Bärnighausen T, Geldsetzer P (2020) Lifetime Prevalence of Cervical Cancer Screening in 55 Low- and Middle-Income Countries . JAMA , 324(15): 1532–1542 Bommer C, Mittal N, Vollmer S (2020) The Impact of Nutritional Interventions on Child Health and Cognitive Development . Annual Review of Resource Economics , 12: 345–366 Geldsetzer P, Manne-Goehler J, Marcus M, Ebert C, Zhumadilov Z, Wesseh CS, Tsabedze L, Supiyev A, Sturua L, Silver BK, Sibai AM, Quesnel-Crooks S, Norov B, Mwangi JK, Mwalim O, McClure RW, Mayige MT, Martins JS, Lunet N, Labadarios D, Karki KB, Kagaruki GB, Jorgensen JMA, Hwalla NC, Houinato D, Houehanou C, Msaidié M, Guwatudde D, Gurung MS, Gathecha G, Dorobantu M, Damasceno A, Bovet P, Bicaba BW, Aryal KA, Andall-Brereton G, Agoudavi K, Stokes A, Davies JI, Bärnighausen T*, Atun R*, Vollmer S*, Jaacks LM* (2019) The state of hypertension care in 44 low- and middle-income countries: a cross-sectional study of individual-level nationally representative data from 1.1 million adults . The Lancet , 394: 652-662 (* joint last authors) Manne-Goehler J, Geldsetzer P, Agoudavi K, Andall-Brereton G, Aryal KK, Bicaba BW, Bovet P, Brian G, Dorobantu M, Gathecha G, Gurung MS, Guwatudde D, Msaidie M, Houehanou C, Houinato D, Jorgensen JMA, Kagaruki GB, Karki KB, Labadarios D, Martins JS, Mayige MT, McClure RW, Mwalim O, Mwangi JK, Norov B, Quesnel-Crooks S, Silver BK, Sturua L, Tsabedze L, Wesseh CS, Stokes A, Marcus M, Ebert C, Davies JI*, Vollmer S*, Atun R*, Bärnighausen T*, Jaacks L* (2019) Health system performance for people with diabetes in 28 low- and middle-income countries: A cross-sectional study of nationally representative surveys . PLOS Medicine , 16(3): e1002751 (* joint last authors) Minasyan A, Zenker J, Klasen S, Vollmer S (2019) Educational Gender Gaps and Economic Growth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis . World Development 122: 199-217 Steinert JI, Cluver LD, Meinck F, Doubt J, Vollmer S (2018) Household Economic Strengthening through Financial and Psychosocial Programming: Evidence from a Field Experiment in South Africa . Journal of Development Economics , 134: 443-466 Zenker J, Wagener A, Vollmer S (2018) Better Knowledge Need Not Affect Behavior: A Randomized Evaluation of the Demand for Lottery Tickets in Rural Thailand . World Bank Economic Review , 32(3): 570–583 Geldsetzer P, Manne-Goehler J, Theilmann M, Davies JI, Awasthi A, Vollmer S*, Jaacks LM*, Bärnighausen T*, Atun R* (2018) Diabetes and hypertension in India: A nationally representative study of 1.3 million adults . JAMA Internal Medicine , 178(3): 363-372 (* joint last authors) Bommer C, Sagalova V, Heesemann E, Manne-Goehler J, Atun R, Bärnighausen T, Davies JI, Vollmer S (2018) Global economic burden of diabetes in adults: projections from 2015-2030 . Diabetes Care , 41(5): 963-970 Bommer C, Heesemann E, Sagalova V, Manne-Goehler J, Atun R, Bärnighausen T, Vollmer S (2017) The Global Economic Burden of Diabetes in Adults aged 20 to 79: A Cost-of-Illness Study . The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology , 5(6): 423-430 Kumar S, Molitor R, Vollmer S (2016) Drought and Early Child Health in Rural India . Population and Development Review , 42(1): 53-68 Strulik H, Vollmer S (2015) The Fertility Transition around the World . Journal of Population Economics , 28(1): 31-44 Vollmer S, Harttgen K, Subramanyam MA, Finlay J, Klasen S, Subramanian SV (2014) Association between economic growth and early childhood undernutrition: evidence from 121 Demographic and Health Surveys from 36 low-income and middle-income countries . The Lancet Global Health , 2(4): e225-e234 Harttgen K, Vollmer S (2014) A Reversal in the Relationship of Human Development with Fertility? Demography , 51(1): 173-184 Harttgen K, Klasen S, Vollmer S (2013) An African Growth Miracle? Or: What do Asset Indices Tell us about Trends in Economic Performance? Review of Income and Wealth , 59(S1): S37-S61 Strulik H, Vollmer S (2013) Long-Run Trends of Human Aging and Longevity . Journal of Population Economics , 26(4): 1303-1323 Vollmer S, Holzmann H, Schwaiger F (2013) Peaks vs Components . Review of Development Economics , 17(2): 352-364 Herzer D, Strulik H, Vollmer S (2012) The Long-Run Determinants of Fertility: One Century of Demographic Change 1900-1999 . Journal of Economic Growth , 17(4): 357-385
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Bogler L, Varghese S, Sharma A, Atre S, Kumar A, Subramanian SV, Vollmer S (2026) Empowering women in rural Bihar: a mixed methods cluster-randomized controlled trial of a large-scale participatory learning and action programme . World Development Perspectives , 43: 100827 Bogler L, Weber A-C, Kumar A, Vollmer S (2026) Iron-Fortified Drinking Water in Anganwadi Centres in Rural India: A Randomized Controlled Trial . Review of Development Economics Bogler L, Vieira B, Andriamasy HE, Rapanjato Z, Vollmer S, Bärnighausen T, Ralisimalala A, Emmrich JV, Knauss S (2025) The Impact of a Mobile Money–Based Intervention on Maternal and Neonatal Health Outcomes in Madagascar: Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial . JMIR Public Health and Surveillance , 11: e70182 Weber A-C, Bogler L, Vollmer S (2024) Formal vs. informal mathematics: Assessing numeracy with school and market items in a large sample of school-aged children in North-West Nigeria . Economics of Education Review , 102: 102564 Bogler L, Bommer C, Ebert C, Kumar A, Subramanian SV, Subramanyam M, Vollmer S (2024) Effects of a large-scale Participatory Learning and Action Programme in Women’s Groups on Health, Nutrition, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial in Bihar, India . Journal of Development Effectiveness , 16(2): 246–263 Haggenmüller V, Bogler L, Weber A-C, Kumar A, Bärnighausen T, Danquah I, Vollmer S (2023) Smartphone-based point-of-care anemia screening in rural Bihar in India . Communications Medicine , 3: 38
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Kaplan L, Marx Delaney M, Roddewig P, Singh S, Molina R, Diba F, Tuller D, Bobanski L, Hashmi A, Marthoenis M, Richert K, Ichsan I, Singh V, Muhsin M, Kumar V, Sofyan H, Vollmer S*, Semrau K* (2026) The World Health Organization Safe Childbirth Checklist on Essential Birth Practices and Perinatal Mortality: A Meta-Analysis . JAMA Network Open , 9(2): e2558269 (* joint last authors) Teufel F, Roddewig P, Marcus M, Theilmann M, Andall-Brereton G, Aryal K, Azadnajafabad S, Bovet P, Dorobantu M, Farzadfar F, Houehanou C, Sibai A, Stokes A, Labadarios D, Gurung M, Jorgensen J, Karki K, Lunet N, Saeedi Moghaddam S, Mwangi KJ, Sturua L, Flood D, Bärnighausen T, Geldsetzer P, Damasceno A, Davies J, Vollmer S, Ali MK, Manne-Goehler J, Bulstra C (2025) National Evidence on Glucose-Lowering Medication Use for Diabetes from 62 Low- and Middle-Income Countries . Nature Communications , 16: 7139
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Squarcina M, Hänsch J, Montoya Cepeda FM, Pallauf M, Paz B, Stehl J, Wehner J, Wollni M (2026) Developing a multidimensional resilience index for farm households: A food system approach . World Development , 202: 107342 Stehl J, Vonderschmidt A, Vollmer S, Alexander P, Jaacks L (2025) Gap between national food production and food-based dietary guidance highlights lack of national self-sufficiency . Nature Food , 6: 571–576 Stehl J, Depenbusch L, Vollmer S (2025) Global poverty and the cost of a healthy diet . Food Policy , 132: 102849
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Weber A-C, Bogler L, Kumar A, Vollmer S (2026) Iron-fortified drinking water in Anganwadi Centres in rural India: a randomized controlled trial . Review of Development Economics , 30(4): 2141–2887 Weber A-C, Bogler L, Vollmer S (2024) Formal vs. informal mathematics: Assessing numeracy with school and market items in a large sample of school-aged children in North-West Nigeria . Economics of Education Review , 102: 102564 Haggenmüller V, Bogler L, Weber A-C, Kumar A, Bärnighausen T, Danquah I, Vollmer S (2023) Smartphone-based point-of-care anemia screening in rural Bihar in India . Communications Medicine , 3: 38
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Vollmer
Dominik Näher, PhD
Dr. Lisa Bogler
Dominik Jockers
Dr. Ida G. Monfared
Sabrina Rhode
Pia Roddewig
Dr. Jonas Stehl
Dr. Ann-Charline Weber