SFOK09123U Advanced Empirical Health Economics

Volume 2014/2015
Education
MSc in Public Health Science
Content

The focus of the current course is the evaluation problem, i.e., how to identify causal effects from empirical data. Starting from a health economic framework, in which health is perceived as a human capital stock, we use the econometrician’s tool-box to analyze patterns in health surveys typically used in public health and health economics. During the course we will use the software STATA to analyze data from Survey on Health Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). One application will be the socio-economic gradients in health, which have gained large attention in both epidemiology and economics. Using real data we take the economist’s approach and analyze how health measures relates to household choices and characteristics.

A central focus in the course will be to distinguish correlations from causal effects and the students will be introduced to state-of-the-art difference-in-differences estimators, instrumental variables and regression discontinuity designs.

 

Learning Outcome
  • be able to read and understand scientific papers in applied health econometrics
  • be able to choose among econometric models (e.g., OLS, Probit models or Ordered Probit) for different applications and argue for the choice
  • know about not only the advantages of different techniques, but also their pitfalls
  • be able to carry out micro-econometric analyses on health surveys using STATA software
  • be able to write clearly about data, econometric analyses and results
  • interpret empirical results within a health economic framework

Health Economics af Jay Bhattacharya , Timothy Hide og Peter Tu.

Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An empiricist's Companion, Joshua D. Angrist and Jörn-Steffen Pischke

Applied econometrics for health Economists - Apractical guide , Andrew Jones (latest version)

+ scientific papers

KA-students, and statistics at MA level.
Statistics at MA level
Lectures and excercises
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 30
  • Exam
  • 70
  • Preparation
  • 175
  • Total
  • 275
Credit
10 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Written assignment
Course paper
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period
See the exam schedule
Re-exam
See the exam schedule
Criteria for exam assesment
  • be able to understand and refer to relevant scientific papers in applied health econometrics
  • be able to choose among econometric models (e.g., OLS, Probit models or Ordered Probit) for different applications and argue for the choice
  • know about not only the advantages of different techniques, but also their pitfalls
  • be able to carry out micro-econometric analyses on health surveys using STATA software
  • be able to write clearly about data, econometric analyses and results
  • interpret empirical results within a health economic framework