Not available in 2020/21
PB452E      Half Unit
Behavioural Science for Health

This information is for the 2020/21 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Matteo Galizzi QUE.3.16

Availability

This course is available on the Executive MSc in Behavioural Science and Executive MSc in Health Economics, Outcomes and Management in Cardiovascular Sciences. This course is not available as an outside option.

Please note that for 2019/20, this course will only be available to Health Policy EMSc students.

Course content

The course aims to introduce to students the main principles, methods, measures, and insights of behavioural sciences, and the key state-of-the-art applications to health economics, policy, practice, and management.

The course is designed to enhance students’ abilities to apply rigorously and critically behavioural science tools to concrete challenges in the health and healthcare area.

It covers principles of behavioural science; heterogeneity and behavioural economics; behavioural health economics and policy; methods of behavioural science; behavioural experiments in health (field, lab, lab-field, online, mobile); behavioural data linking; measures of behavioural science; risk preferences and health; time preferences and health; social preferences and health; behavioural insights for information policies in health; financial and non-financial incentives in health; behaviourally supercharged incentives in health; nudging behavioural change in health; behavioural spillovers in health; behavioural insights for regulation and taxation in health, healthcare, and risky health behaviours; behavioural insights for healthy behaviours (diet and nutrition, physical exercise, alcohol abuse, tobacco and drug use, medication, screening, infectious diseases, vaccination); behavioural insights for blood and organ donations; behavioural insights for health practice, management, and policy challenges.

Teaching

18 hours of lectures and 4 hours and 30 minutes of seminars in the ST.

6 x 3 hour lectures (18 hours)

3 x 1.5 hour seminars (4.5 hours each seminar group)

Formative coursework

Students will be expected to produce 1 presentation and 1 other piece of coursework in the ST.

Indicative reading

  • Charness G, Gneezy U (2009) Incentives to exercise. Econometrica, 77(3), 909-931.
  • Dolan P, Galizzi MM (2015) Like ripples on a pond: behavioural spillovers and their consequences for research and policy. Journal of Economic Psychology, 47, 1-16.
  • Galizzi MM (2014). What is really behavioural in behavioural health policy? And, does it work? Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 36(1), 25-60.
  • Galizzi MM, Wiesen D (2017). Behavioural experiments in health: An introduction. Health economics, 26(S3), 3-5.
  • Galizzi MM, Wiesen D (2018). Behavioural Experiments in Health Economics. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance. Oxford University Press.
  • Hanoch Y, Barnes AJ, Rice T (2017). Behavioral Economics and Healthy Behaviors. Routledge.
  • Roberto CA, Kawachi I (2016). Behavioral Economics and Public Health. Oxford University Press.
  • Schwartz JA, Chapman GB (1999). Are more options always better? The attraction effect in physicians' decisions about medications. Medical Decision Making, 19, 315-323.
  • Volpp K, Loewenstein G et al. (2008). Financial incentive-based approaches to weight loss. Journal of the American Medical Association, 300, 2631-2637.

Assessment

Essay (100%, 3000 words) in the ST.

Important information in response to COVID-19

Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.

Key facts

Department: Psychological and Behavioural Science

Total students 2019/20: Unavailable

Average class size 2019/20: Unavailable

Controlled access 2019/20: No

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication
  • Specialist skills