This module covers a broad range of concepts, theories, and topics related to the economics of health care. It builds on the insights of microeconomic theory. Health Economics emerged as a sub discipline of economics in the 1960s with the publication of two seminal papers by Kenneth Arrow (1963) and Mark Pauly (1968). The focus was on health market rather than on health status per se. It prompted the development of Economics of Health Care.
The aim of this module is to understand how methods developed in other economics classes can be applied to the health sector. Using standard microeconomic tools, and informed by empirical analysis, we will try to answer several questions that are relevant for policy debate. Why is the government playing such an important role in the health care sector? How does the patients' lack of information affect medical prices? Can we use economic models to understand the rationale for risky behaviours, such as smoking? Lectures will be devoted to build up an economic analysis of the demand and production of health and health care. These concepts will be further developed during classes, through the discussion of articles from both the economic literature and the press.
At the end of this module, students should be able to understand the main economic mechanisms related to health care and apply results from the literature to the current policy debate.
The aim of this module is to understand how methods developed in other economics classes can be applied to the health sector. Using standard microeconomic tools, and informed by empirical analysis, we will try to answer several questions that are relevant for policy debate. Why is the government playing such an important role in the health care sector? How does the patients' lack of information affect medical prices? Can we use economic models to understand the rationale for risky behaviours, such as smoking? Lectures will be devoted to build up an economic analysis of the demand and production of health and health care. These concepts will be further developed during classes, through the discussion of articles from both the economic literature and the press.
At the end of this module, students should be able to understand the main economic mechanisms related to health care and apply results from the literature to the current policy debate.
- Module Supervisor: Nicholas Reynolds