Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. Also required is 60 credits in economics and 15 credits in statistics (or a closely related subject).

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, students are expected to have a solid understanding of health economic theory and its empirical applications. They should be able to use this knowledge to analyse health economic questions.

Content

Health is an important aspect of our well-being. On the one hand, health has a value as such; on the other hand, health is a prerequisite for participating, for example, in the labour market. Individuals themselves play an important role in the production of their health.

Health economics deals with analysing health and health care using economic theory and empirical methods. The topics discussed during the course are among others:

• Health investment and individuals' production of health
• Socioeconomic determinants of health
• Optimal health insurance contracts
• Market failure in health insurance markets
• The importance of the design of reimbursement schemes
• Supply induced demand

Instruction

The course material will mainly be presented in lectures. There will, however, also be seminars and exercises during the class.

Assessment

The assessment consists of compulsory exercises, a term paper and student presentations.