SA4E9      Half Unit
Advanced Health Economics

This information is for the 2015/16 session.

Teacher responsible

Prof Alistair Mcguire COW.4.05

Availability

This course is available on the MSc Health Policy, Planning and Financing, MSc in International Health Policy and MSc in International Health Policy (Health Economics). This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Pre-requisites

Students must have completed Health Economics (SA408).

Alternative introductory economics courses are acceptable.

Course content

The course will cover: international comparisons of health care expenditure, individual health-seeking behaviour, health care insurance, contract theory applied to the health care sector (including principal-agent theory and incentive payment mechanisms), and equity in health care.

Students may find material from the half unit SA4L5 Applied Health Econometrics, which will run in weeks 1 to 6 of LT (with lectures also in week 11), to be beneficial to studying this course. See the SA4L5 course guide for further detail. In particular, a knowledge of basic econometrics is assumed when taking SA4E9 which will be provided by SA4L5.

Teaching

15 hours of lectures and 20 hours of seminars in the LT. 2 hours of lectures in the ST.

All lectures and seminars will be taught by Professor Alistair McGuire. The lectures will be twice a week from weeks 6 through 10. The seminars will be twice a week from week 7 through 11.

Formative coursework

A piece of formative coursework will be set and students will receive feedback on their work.

Indicative reading

Culyer, A.J., and Newhouse, J.P., (eds.), 2001, Handbook of Health Economics Volumes 1A &1B, (North-Holland, Amsterdam); Zweifel, P. and Breyer, F., 1997, Health Economics, (OUP, Oxford).

Assessment

Exam (75%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Essay (25%, 2500 words) in the ST.

Student performance results

(2011/12 - 2013/14 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 11.3
Merit 77.5
Pass 11.3
Fail 0

Key facts

Department: Social Policy

Total students 2014/15: 34

Average class size 2014/15: 17

Controlled access 2014/15: Yes

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication
  • Application of numeracy skills
  • Specialist skills

Course survey results

(2012/13 - 2013/14 combined)

1 = "best" score, 5 = "worst" score

The scores below are average responses.

Response rate: 100%

Question

Average
response

Reading list (Q2.1)

1.7

Materials (Q2.3)

1.6

Course satisfied (Q2.4)

1.7

Lectures (Q2.5)

1.9

Integration (Q2.6)

1.8

Contact (Q2.7)

2

Feedback (Q2.8)

2.3

Recommend (Q2.9)

Yes

59.4%

Maybe

40.6%

No

0%