HP426      Half Unit
Applied Health Econometrics

This information is for the 2019/20 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Elisabetta De Cao OLD 1.11

Availability

This course is compulsory on the MSc in International Health Policy (Health Economics). This course is available on the MSc in International Health Policy. 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 (HP420).

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. De Cao 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 interpret the results.

This content of this course may be useful to those considering the half unit HP423 Advanced Health Economics. 

Teaching

11 hours of lectures and 18 hours of seminars in the MT.

All lectures and seminars will be taught by Dr. Elisabetta De Cao. The lectures will be 2-hour long in week 1, and then 1-hour long in weeks 2-5 and weeks 7-11. The seminars will be weekly from week 2 through 11 (with the exception of week 1 where you will have no seminar). 

Formative coursework

One formative assessment will require the analysis of some data in STATA and the description of the results.

Indicative reading

  • Joshua David Angrist, Jorn-Steffen Pischke (2015) Mastering 'Metrics: The Path from Cause to Effect. (most relevant to the course)
  • Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, (2009) Introductory econometrics: a modern approach, 4th edition.
  • Gertler, P. J., Martinez, S., Premand, P., Rawlings, L. B., & Vermeersch, C. M. (2016). Impact evaluation in practice. The World Bank.
  • Almond, D. (2006). Is the 1918 influenza pandemic over? Long-term effects of in utero influenza exposure in the post-1940 US population. Journal of political Economy, 114(4), 672-712.
  • Almond et al. (2010) “Estimating marginal returns to medical care: Evidence from at-risk newborns” The quarterly journal of economics 125.2 (2010): 591-634.
  • Camacho, A. (2008). Stress and birth weight: evidence from terrorist attacks. American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings, 98(2), 511-15.
  • Card, David, Carlos Dobkin, and Nicole Maestas. "The impact of nearly universal insurance coverage on health care utilization: evidence from Medicare." American Economic Review 98.5 (2008): 2242-58.
  • Carpenter, Christopher, and Carlos Dobkin. "The effect of alcohol consumption on mortality: regression discontinuity evidence from the minimum drinking age." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 1.1 (2009): 164-82.
  • Carpenter, C., & Dobkin, C. (2011). The minimum legal drinking age and public health. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 25(2), 133-56.
  • Currie, J., Ray, S. H., & Neidell, M. (2011). Quasi-experimental studies suggest that lowering air pollution levels benefits infants’ and children’s health. Health Affairs, 30(12), 2391-2399.
  • Duflo, E. (2001). Schooling and labor market consequences of school construction in Indonesia: Evidence from an unusual policy experiment. American economic review, 91(4), 795-813.
  • Finkelstein, A., Taubman, S., Wright, B., Bernstein, M., Gruber, J., Newhouse, J. P., ... & Oregon Health Study Group. (2012). The Oregon health insurance experiment: evidence from the first year. The Quarterly journal of economics, 127(3), 1057-1106.
  • Galiani, S., Gertler, P., & Schargrodsky, E. (2005). Water for life: The impact of the privatization of water services on child mortality. Journal of political economy, 113(1), 83-120.
  • Powell-Jackson, T., Mazumdar, S., & Mills, A. (2015). Financial incentives in health: New evidence from India’s Janani Suraksha Yojana. Journal of health economics, 43, 154-169.

 

Assessment

Project (100%, 3500 words).

100% One Research project (data analysis with STATA and write-up of 3,500 words) submitted in LT

Student performance results

(2015/16 - 2017/18 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 30
Merit 44
Pass 18
Fail 8

Key facts

Department: Health Policy

Total students 2018/19: 31

Average class size 2018/19: 15

Controlled access 2018/19: No

Value: Half Unit

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