Studying at York
Evaluation of Health Policy - ECO00074M
- Department: Economics and Related Studies
- Credit value: 10 credits
- Credit level: M
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Spring Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
The narrow goal of evaluative research is to identify the causal impact of an intervention on outcomes of interest. The broader goal is to understand the mechanisms underlying this impact. In evaluating the cost-effectiveness of medical technologies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are often regarded to be the gold standard in identifying internally valid estimates of causal effects. In health policy research, randomized experiments are less prevalent and researchers are more often faced with identifying causal relationships from observational, or non-experimental, sources of data where the assignment of individuals to treatment or control group is beyond the control of the researcher. In such circumstances, the identification of causal effects is often difficult and econometric tools are often called into play.
Module learning outcomes
The module is motivated by the use of non-experimental data to evaluate health policies. The emphasis of the module is on the issues that arise in health economics in finding appropriate data and reliable identification strategies, rather than on the underlying economic and econometric theory. The aim is to provide knowledge of the range of quantitative methods that are available for policy evaluation; an understanding of their underlying assumptions, strengths and weaknesses; an ability to apply the methods in practice. Throughout the module computer-based practical examples will be used to give experience of how these evaluation methods can be applied using the statistical software Stata.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Feedback will be returned to students in line with University procedures.
Indicative reading
Jones, A.M. and Rice, N. (2011) Econometric evaluation of health policies, in Oxford Handbook of Health Economics, Glied, S. and Smith, P.C. (eds.), Oxford, Oxford University Press.