SA4L5      Half Unit
Applied Health Econometrics

This information is for the 2015/16 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Grace Lordan OLDM2.26

Availability

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

Pre-requisites

Students must have completed Health Economics (SA408).

Alternatively, students should have completed another foundation course in microeconomics.  If this was completed outside of the LSE at an undergraduate level, please contact Dr. Lordan for further advice.

Course content

Most research questions, in health economics require students to apply econometric techniques. This course will introduce these techniques and students exiting the course can expect to have acquired a competency in econometrics as it is applied to health economics. The seminars- which are lab based- will allow students to apply these methods to practical problems using Stata and decipher the results.

This content of this course may be useful to those considering the half unit SA4E9 Advanced Health Economics which will run in weeks 6 to 11 of LT and week 1 of ST. See the SA4E9 course guide for further detail.

Teaching

12 hours of lectures and 22 hours of seminars in the LT.

All lectures and seminars will be taught by Dr. Grace Lordan. The lectures will be twice a week from weeks 1 through 5. The seminars will be twice a week from week 1 through 6 (with the exception of week 1 where you will have 1 seminar). There will be a mock exam and  a revision lecture in week 11. 

Formative coursework

Two pieces:  1)  A set of problems given in seminar 4, tackled without help during the seminar and submitted afterwards. . This work will be read and feedback provided.  2) A mock exam in week 11.  This work will be read and feedback provided by week 9.

Indicative reading

Frijters, P.,  Johnston, D.W., Lordan, G., Shields, M.A. (2013) Exploring the relationship between macroeconomic conditions and problem drinking as captured by Google searches in the US. Social Science and Medicine. 84, pp. 61-68.

Johnston, D.W. & Lordan G., 2012. "Discrimination makes me sick! An examination of the discrimination–health relationship," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pp. 99-111.

Johnston, D.W. and Lordan, G. (2014) Weight perceptions, weight control and income: an analysis using British data. Economics and Human Biology, 12 . pp. 132-139.

Jones, A.M., Rice, N., Bago d’Uva, T. and Balia S. (2013) Applied Health Economics, London: Routledge.

Lordan, G. and Frijters, P.  (2013) Unplanned pregnancy and the impact on sibling health outcomes. Health Economics, 22 (8). pp. 903-914.

Lordan, G. and Tang, K.K. and Carmignani, F. (2011) Has HIV/AIDS displaced other health funding priorities? Evidence from a new dataset of development aid for health Social Science and Medicine, 73 (3). 351-355.

Lordan, G. and Pakrashi, D. (2014) Make time for physical activity or you may spend more time sick! Social Indicators Research, Online. 1-13.

Assessment

Exam (70%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Coursework (30%).

One written assignment using STATA (30%).

Student performance results

(2013/14 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 29.2
Merit 54.2
Pass 16.7
Fail 0

Key facts

Department: Social Policy

Total students 2014/15: 38

Average class size 2014/15: 19

Controlled access 2014/15: Yes

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Course survey results

(2013/14 combined)

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

The scores below are average responses.

Response rate: 81.5%

Question

Average
response

Reading list (Q2.1)

2.1

Materials (Q2.3)

2

Course satisfied (Q2.4)

1.7

Lectures (Q2.5)

1.8

Integration (Q2.6)

1.7

Contact (Q2.7)

1.9

Feedback (Q2.8)

1.7

Recommend (Q2.9)

Yes

85.7%

Maybe

9.5%

No

4.8%