Undergraduate Course: Health Economics (ECNM10082)
Course Outline
| School | School of Economics |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is an Honours option course for undergraduate students reading for single and joint Honours degrees offered by the School of Economics.
It introduces students to the issues, theory and applications of health economics, placing emphasis on current empirical research in the field. |
| Course description |
The module aims to provide students with an introduction to the key concepts, methods and understanding of the application of economics to health and health care. Students will gain knowledge of the core theories underpinning health economics, but more importantly, it aims to stimulate students critical thinking about the major challenges health care systems face and how health economics can play a role in understanding and mitigating those challenges. The module incorporates a combination of the core theory underpinning health economics and empirical research within health economics.
The module begins by introducing health economics and the economics of health, their importance and some of their unique characteristics. It will introduce students to the theory of demand for health care including the Grossman model and its empirical applications, as well as individual health behaviour and the role of behavioural economics in health. Following this, it considers the supply and financing of health care and then explores inequalities in both the distribution and financing of health care, drawing on empirical analyses. The latter part of the module focuses on economic evaluation (EE) and decision-making relating to resource prioritisation within health care. It covers the methods involved in EE and explores its application in mental health and the role it plays in decision making in practice.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Students should usually have at least 3 Economics courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. This MUST INCLUDE courses in Macroeconomics, Microeconomics and statistics. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- A knowledge and understanding of key concepts, issues and models in health economics, as well as empirical methodology and recent advances in research in health economics.
- Research and investigative skills such as problem framing and solving and the ability to assemble and evaluate complex evidence and arguments.
- Communication skills in order to critique, create and communicate understanding and to collaborate with and relate to others.
- Personal effectiveness through task-management, time-management, teamwork and group interaction, dealing with uncertainty and adapting to new situations, personal and intellectual autonomy through independent learning.
- Practical/technical skills such as, modelling skills (abstraction, logic, succinctness), qualitative and quantitative analysis and general IT literacy.
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Reading List
| There is no single resource for this course and reading will be assigned each week. Reading material will consist of a combination of book chapters and research papers. All material will be made available. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and Inquiry
B1. The ability to identify, define and analyse theoretical and applied economic problems and identify or devise approaches to investigate and solve these problems.
B3. The ability to critically assess existing understanding of economic and social issues, the limitations of that understanding and the limitations of their own knowledge and understanding of those issues.
B4. The ability to question the principles, methods, standards and boundaries of economic knowledge
Personal and Intellectual Autonomy
C1. The ability to be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning, and are committed to continuous reflection, self-evaluation and self-improvement.
C4. The ability to collaborate and debate effectively to test, modify and strengthen their own views.
Communication
D1. The ability to make effective use of oral, written and visual means to critique, create and communicate understanding.
D2. The ability to further their own learning through effective use of feedback.
D3. The ability to use communication as a tool for collaborating and relating to others.
Personal Effectiveness
E1. The ability to manage tasks and also skills in time-management.
E4. The ability to work effectively with others, capitalising on their different thinking. |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
10 pre-recorded lectures. Lectures will be made available on Learn each week and will generally consist of 3-5 short videos.
6 x 1 hour-long live tutorials (the 6th tutorial is reserved for exam and essay preparation)
Tutorials 1-5 will be student-led discussions based on a pre-specified topic/question for that week. Prior to tutorial attendance all students must submit a short answer on the weekly topic/question. Upon submission of a short answer and attendance at the tutorial slot, students will automatically receive the allotted marks for that week. Some leeway will be allowed for absence. Specifically, students must attend at least 4 of the 5 tutorials (and submit their short answer) to receive full marks. In other words, attendance at four tutorials is worth 1.2.5%*4 = 5%.
Note that there will be no teaching during Flexible Learning Week which takes place between weeks 5 and 6. |
| Keywords | HealthEcon |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Elizabeth Lemmon
Tel: (0131 6)51 9946
Email: elizabeth.lemmon@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Becky Guthrie
Tel:
Email: becky.guthrie@ed.ac.uk |
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