Empirical Health Economics

This course introduces students to:

• Relevant policy questions in Health Economics
• The main empirical methods used for policy evaluation
• Some influential papers from the literature

Course structure:

• US and German health care systems
• Policy evaluation in health economics - Rubin's causal model
• Demand for health care – randomized controlled trials
• Demand for health care – instrumental variables
• Demand for insurance - difference in differences
• Health and socio-economic status
• Health provider behavior

Aim of the course

At the end of the course students should ...

• Have an overview of relevant policies in Health Economics
• Know economic and econometric models relevant to study these policies
• Be able to apply these models also to situations outside of the health-care sector
• Know how economic models can be tested empirically
• Be able to interpret and critically assess the methods and results of empirical studies
• Have gained institutional knowledge with respect to different health care systems