Description:

The participation at the intrductory meeting is not obligatory, but strongly recommended. 

You can find an manual for your STATA access (if needed for your own seminar paper) from your owm computer with this Link.

Seminar Health Care Systems

2. Course Description:

Health affects the well-being of individuals, their contribution to economic issues and their ability to be part of society. Health expenditure is rising faster than GDP in most industrialized countries. Different values in different health care systems in terms of efficiency, equity and cost control play an important role. Knowledge of multiple health care systems can be helpful in reforming existing systems.

Lecture with integrated seminar: this course will provide an overview of health care systems in different countries as well as insights into European institutions in the healthcare system and future challenges for health care. National and international academic lecturers will present in the seminar.

3. Grading

The final grade is composed of the grades for the written term paper. The conditions of components are briefly described below:

Term paper

The term paper should not be longer than 15 pages, excluding the title page, references, figures, and tables.

An economic analysis is expected. There are two alternatives:

1. Comparison of two or more health care systems with focus on an economic problem.
2. Empirical analysis of several countries (for example EU- or OECD-countries).

Descriptive papers or papers with no economic focus will not be accepted. Examples of possible topics can be found below.

4. Course materials

All course materials will be provided online. The password for the course will be communicated in the kick-off meeting. Lecture slides and a handout on how to write a term paper in economics will be made available online. An own literature research is necessary. For international peer-reviewed academic journals in English see the VWL-Handelsblattranking (online). Official sources in the respective language of the country are accepted only for the description of health systems.

Data sources for an empirical analysis can include (examples):

• ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database (Eurostat)
• stats.oecd.org (OECD)
• www.who.int/nutgrowthdb/database/en/ (WHO)
• databank.worldbank.org/data/home.aspx (World Bank)
• www.share-project.org/data-access.html (SHARE)#

5. Course schedule

The seminar takes place at varying times. At the beginning of the semester, there is a introductory meeting. Enrollment, topic choice or unenrollment, and submission of term papers by email to . The full course will take place virtually. 

Timeframe

Past years' topics: examples

Moral Hazard in the Health Care Systems of Germany and Switzerland: The Role of Co-Payments

Market Failure in the Health Care Systems of France and Sweden: An Economic Analysis of Moral Hazard

Comparison of the Control Systems and Economic Incentive Structures in Health Care Systems of Germany, Canada and the USA - an Economic Perspective and Analysis

The Influence of Parallel Imports on Health Care Systems: A Comparison between Europe and the USA - Considering the Price Setting Behavior of Pharmaceuticals

Migration Decision of Nurses in Times of Demographic Change: Incentives in Health Care Systems of Germany and Great Britain

Incentives for a Nationwide Medical Provision in the Health Care Systems of Sweden and Germany

The Effects of Co-Payments: An OECD-Comparison

Pay-for-Performance: Establishing Performance-related Pay for Medical Care Providers in Germany and Russia

Empirical study of the link between health spending and health outcomes in the OECD countries

The Determinants of Health Care Expenditure Depending on the Type of Health Care System

Supply-induced demand for caesarean delivery? A comparison of the German and the Swedish health care system in terms of possible causes of the widely differing rates of caesarean sections

The economic problem of upcoding in Germany and in the US

Empirical study of the link between health spending and health outcomes in the OECD countries

The Determinants of Health Care Expenditure Depending on the Type of Health Care System

Care choices in Europe: The use of formal and informal care services among older people in Germany and Italy

Transitions in formal and informal care utilisation amongst older Europeans: The impact of national contexts

Informal and formal care in Europe: Cross-country comparison of institutions and their impact on health and health care use

Further topics: examples

Managing the demographic transition: Key challenges for healthcare financing in Europe in the next generation

Economic appraisal of long-term capital investments for healthcare infrastructure: Where should they take place and who should finance them?

Health technology assessment for investment decisions in the health sector: Current methods and their application in EU healthcare systems

Human resources for healthcare: What needs to be done to ensure the future supply of qualified staff in the health sector?

Financing the treatment of rare diseases: Challenges and opportunities for cross-border cooperation in Europe

Financing innovative technologies in healthcare: The roles of government, service providers, payers and patients in the healthcare system