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74283-01 - Lecture: Advanced Health Economics (6 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Every spring sem. |
| Lecturers | Armando N. Meier (armando.meier@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This advanced course in health economics offers a comprehensive overview of the key theoretical frameworks and empirical methodologies in health economics. Drawing on microeconomic theory and state-of-the-art econometric tools, the course analyzes fundamental topics such as the demand for healthcare, the design of health insurance, behavioral aspects of health-related decision-making, vaccination strategies, and causal inference in health economics. The course combines conceptual learning with practical application. Building on core economic principles, students will critically evaluate real-world health policy issues and empirical research. A central component of the course is the replication of published studies, allowing students to deepen their analytical skills and engage with current research debates. Throughout, students will work with real data and draw connections to broader issues such as labor market outcomes, health system design, individual health behavior, and global health priorities. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of health economics methods and current research. They will learn how modern causal inference methods are applied to real-world health data and research questions. Students will gain the ability to interpret and assess the credibility of empirical findings in the literature and will replicate published empirical results. They will develop the capacity to connect economic reasoning to current policy debates. |
| Bibliography | The main content are the provided slides and discussed research papers. Some additional explanations regarding the theoretical parts can be found in "Health Economics" by Jay Bhattacharya. |
| Weblink | Group Health Economics Meier |
| Admission requirements | Completed Bachelor in Business and Economics or equivalent. Strongly recommended: 12036 Econometrics and 41957 Advanced Econometrics. Recommended (in parallel): 58920 Causal Inference for Policy Evaluation. People who want to attend, but not take the exam must still do the presentations and enroll via Adam. |
| Course application | Registration: Please enroll in the Online Services (services.unibas.ch); Eucor-Students and mobility students of other Swiss Universities or the FHNW first have to register at the University of Basel BEFORE the start of the course and receive their login data by post (e-mail address of the University of Basel). Processing time up to a week! Detailed information can be found here: https://www.unibas.ch/de/Studium/Mobilitaet.html After successful registration you can enroll for the course in the Online Services (services.unibas.ch). Applies to everyone: Enrolment = Registration for the course and the exam! |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 14.15-18.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S17 HG.38 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 19.02.2026 | 14.15-18.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S17 HG.38 |
| Thursday 26.02.2026 | 14.15-18.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Thursday 05.03.2026 | 14.15-18.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S17 HG.38 |
| Thursday 12.03.2026 | 14.15-18.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S13 HG.35 |
| Thursday 19.03.2026 | 14.15-18.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S17 HG.38 |
| Friday 20.03.2026 | 09.15-17.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S17 HG.38 |
| Thursday 26.03.2026 | 14.15-18.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S13 HG.35 |
| Thursday 02.04.2026 | 14.15-18.00 | Ostern |
| Thursday 09.04.2026 | 14.15-18.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S17 HG.38 |
| Thursday 16.04.2026 | 09.15-17.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S17 HG.38 |
| Thursday 23.04.2026 | 09.15-17.00 | Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Seminarraum S17 HG.38 |
| Modules |
Module: Field Electives in Economics and Public Policy (Master's Studies: Economics and Public Policy) Module: Policy Field: Health and Labor (Master's Studies: Economics and Public Policy) Module: Specific Electives in Labor Economics, Human Resources and Organization (Master's Studies: Business and Economics) Specialization Module Global Europe: Global Ageing and Health (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Graded presentations during the semester (50% each) and Pass/Fail written examination at the end of the semester. Written examination: Date will be published during the first week of lectures. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,1 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Business and Economics , studiendekanat-wwz@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Faculty of Business and Economics |