Prof Alistair Mcguire COW.4.05

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

Students must have completed Health Economics (SA408).

Alternative introductory economics courses are acceptable.

The course will cover: international comparisons of health care expenditure, individual health-seeking behaviour, health care insurance, contract theory applied to the health care sector (including principal-agent theory and incentive payment mechanisms), and equity in health care.

Students may find material from the half unit SA4L5 Applied Health Econometrics, which will run in weeks 1 to 6 of LT (with lectures also in week 11), to be beneficial to studying this course. See the SA4L5 course guide for further detail. In particular, a knowledge of basic econometrics is assumed when taking SA4E9 which will be provided by SA4L5.

15 hours of lectures and 20 hours of seminars in the LT. 2 hours of lectures in the ST.

All lectures and seminars will be taught by Professor Alistair McGuire. The lectures will be twice a week from weeks 6 through 10. The seminars will be twice a week from week 7 through 11.

A piece of formative coursework will be set and students will receive feedback on their work.

Culyer, A.J., and Newhouse, J.P., (eds.), 2001, Handbook of Health Economics Volumes 1A &1B, (North-Holland, Amsterdam); Zweifel, P. and Breyer, F., 1997, Health Economics, (OUP, Oxford).

Exam (75%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Essay (25%, 2500 words) in the ST.