HP401 Half Unit
Introduction to Health Policy and Politics
This information is for the 2018/19 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr Mrigesh Bhatia OLD 1.17 and Dr Justin Parkhurst COW 3.08
Availability
This course is compulsory on the MSc in Global Health Policy and MSc in International Health Policy. This course is available on the MSc in Global Population Health, MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing, MSc in International Health Policy (Health Economics) and MSc in Social Policy (Research). This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
Course content
A comparative approach to the development of health and healthcare policies in high, middle, and low income country settings, emphasising the goals of health policymaking, public health approaches, the political nature of health policy issues, and core concepts from policy studies that can be used to conceptualise policy change dynamcs in health.
The course will introduce concept of risk and risk reducing strategies, theories of planning, and priority setting techniques in health care. In addition, the course will examine the processes and forces shaping the development and implementation of health policy. The course will examine core concepts such as power, the role of the state and other policy stakeholders (e.g. NGOs, international organisations, etc.), institutions, and evidence, in shaping health policy agendas or choices.
Teaching
15 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the MT. 2 hours of help sessions in the ST.
Students will participate in presenting at least one seminar presentation.
Formative coursework
Students will have the option to produce an outline of their term essay for feedback before submission.
Students will sit a mock written exam in the last week of term.
Indicative reading
Green, A., An Introduction to Health Planning for Developing Health Systems, new edn, OUP, 2007.
Walt, Gill. 1994. Health policy: an introduction to process and power. London: Zed Books.
Hill, M. The Policy Process, a reader, second ed. Harlow: Prentice Hall 1997
Buse, Kent, Nick Mays, and Gill Walt. 2012. Making Health Policy. Maidenhead, Berkshire: Open University Press.
D Leon & G Walt (eds), Poverty, Inequality and Health: An international perspective, OUP (2001); B Amick et al., Society and Health, OUP (1995);
Parkhurst, J. The politics of evidence: from evidence based policy to the good governance of evidence. London Routledge 2016.
Assessment
Exam (60%, duration: 2 hours) in the summer exam period.
Essay (40%, 2500 words) in the MT.
Student performance results
(2014/15 - 2016/17 combined)
Classification | % of students |
---|---|
Distinction | 5.8 |
Merit | 74.2 |
Pass | 18.3 |
Fail | 1.7 |
Key facts
Department: Health Policy
Total students 2017/18: 44
Average class size 2017/18: 14
Controlled access 2017/18: Yes
Lecture capture used 2017/18: Yes (MT)
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Specialist skills
Course survey results
(2014/15 - 2016/17 combined)
1 = "best" score, 5 = "worst" scoreThe scores below are average responses.
Response rate: 100%
Question |
Average | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reading list (Q2.1) |
2.3 | ||||||
Materials (Q2.3) |
2.2 | ||||||
Course satisfied (Q2.4) |
2.3 | ||||||
Integration (Q2.6) |
2.4 | ||||||
Contact (Q2.7) |
2.4 | ||||||
Feedback (Q2.8) |
2.6 | ||||||
Recommend (Q2.9) |
|