On 16 November at 12:00 in room 2628-303, Julia Bodnar from CBS will give a seminar entitled:

GROWING NETWORKS AND GROWING FAMILIES: THE IMPACT OF CORPORATE AFFILIATIONS ON FERTILITY CLINIC OUTCOMES

Ambar La Forgia
Haas School of Business
University of California, Berkeley 

Julia Bodner
Copenhagen Business School

Abstract
This paper studies how corporate ownership impacts firm performance. We collect novel data on US fertility clinics that become affiliated with corporate-backed fertility networks and use difference-in-differences methods to estimate changes in clinic volume and the success of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). We find that post-affiliation, clinic volume (measured by IVF cycles) increases by 24%, and the success of IVF (measured by the live birth rate) increases by 2.6 percentage points (6% increase relative to the pre-affiliation period). However, outcomes differ depending on whether a clinic was fully or partially owned by the corporate parent. Partially owned clinics experience a 22% increase in volume, but no changes in IVF success, while fully owned clinics experience a 25% increase in volume and a 5.3 percentage point (13%) increase in IVF success. In addition to differences in ownership, we explore how resource and knowledge transfers post-affiliation could explain observed outcomes. To support the mechanisms, we draw on press releases and clinic websites, study additional clinic outcomes, and conduct robustness checks to rule out alternative explanations. Our findings highlight how affiliating with a corporate-backed network can influence life-changing healthcare outcomes, which is increasingly important as women continue to delay motherhood.
 

Everyone is welcome!