Dear colleagues,
The Department of Economics cordially invites you to the WU
Research Seminar in Economics on Wednesday, November 5th, with Ilka Gerhardts
(https://www.econ.lmu.de/de/personen/kontaktseite/ilka-gerhardts-8edb094a.html) presenting:
"Just another Pill? The Health Consequences of Labor Induction – Evidence from Germany”.
Abstract: Overtreatment at childbirth is a pressing topic worldwide. This paper provides novel evidence on the causal effect of non-medically indicated labor induction on the health of mothers and newborns, as well as
on hospitals' follow-up care. The analysis draws on the universe of hospital births in Germany from 2015–16, a context where the timing of births helps reduce uncertainty in maternity unit management. As a result, by 2022, one in five women was induced --
twice as often as in 1985. The empirical design disentangles induction from the interdependent assignments of cesarean sections and instrumented deliveries. Identification leverages two novel sources of quasi-random variation in the likelihood of induction
faced by healthy first-time mothers: (1) the timing of natural prelabor membrane ruptures, and (2) the presence of recently completed deliveries upon hospital admission, which subtly influences prospective procedure use. By blending single- and multi-treatment
IV models, the results show that induction substantially increases perineal damage and follow-up surgery, and impairs neonatal fitness. Hospitals’ ambiguous care responses tend to downplay the procedure’s detrimental health impact, especially when compared
to cesarean sections. Policies should target induction as a key to prevent downstream cascades of further interventions.
With best regards,
Harald Oberhofer
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Univ.-Prof. Dr. Harald Oberhofer
Department of Economics
WU Vienna University of Economics and Business
Phone: +43/1/31336-4984
Email: harald.oberhofer@wu.ac.at
https://www.wu.ac.at/en/economics/people/oberhofer-h
Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO)
Phone: +43/1/7982601-468
Email: harald.oberhofer@wifo.ac.at
http://www.wifo.ac.at/harald_oberhofer