MA Economics

Year of entry: 2025

Course unit details:
Healthcare Economics

Course unit fact file
Unit code ECON60432
Credit rating 15
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit? Yes

Overview

To equip students with an understanding (and skills to critique) modern economic theories applied to topical issues surrounding the demand for health and provision of health care.

Pre/co-requisites

Unit title Unit code Requirement type Description
Microeconomic Theory ECON60101 Pre-Requisite Compulsory
Macroeconomic Theory ECON60111 Pre-Requisite Compulsory
Microeconomics ECON60391 Pre-Requisite Compulsory
Econometric Methods ECON61001 Pre-Requisite Compulsory
Macroeconomics ECON60411 Pre-Requisite Compulsory
(ECON60391 OR ECON60101) AND (ECON60111 OR ECON60411)

Pre-Requisites:

(ECON60391 OR ECON60101) AND (ECON60111 OR ECON61001)

Aims

To equip students with an understanding (and skills to critique) modern economic theories applied to topical issues surrounding the demand for health and provision of health care.

 

 

 

 

Learning outcomes

On completion of this unit successful students will be able to demonstrate:

• A good understanding of key economic concepts related to the demand for health

• A good understanding of key economic concepts related to health care provision

• The ability to critically appraise health care policies and reforms

• The skills to produce original work in the form of theoretical models or empirical analysis

 

Syllabus

Provisional

Topic 1 Resource allocation I: Allocative efficiency (budgets) 

Topic 2 Resource allocation II: Technical efficiency (economic evaluation) 

Topic 3 Demand for health (theory) 

Topic 4 Supply, regulation, and financing of health care 

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures and tutorials.

Knowledge and understanding

Pre-Requisites

ECON 60391 (Microeconomics) or ECON 60101 (Microeconomic Theory)

ECON 60611 (Introduction to Econometrics) or ECON 61001 (Econometric Methods)

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written exam 75%
Written assignment (inc essay) 25%

Recommended reading

Morris, S, Devlin, N, Parkin, D, and Spencer, A. (2012) Economic Analysis in Healthcare, Wiley

Zweifel P, Breyer F, Kifmann M. (2009) Health Economics. Second Edition. Springer.
Plus standard undergraduate textbooks for microeconomic theory and econometrics.

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 20
Tutorials 5
Independent study hours
Independent study 125

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Sean Gavan Unit coordinator

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