95592 - DEVELOPING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL IN HEALTH ECONOMICS, MANAGEMENT AND POLICY

Learning outcomes

At the end of the learning activity, the student has a thorough view of the main directions of current research in health economics, policy and management. He/she attains the ability to develop critical and original views on both empirical and theoretical directions of research.

Course contents

This course will guide students through the process of successfully writing a master thesis in health economics, management, and policy. The course will cover methods and suggestions for developing research ideas; gathering, processing, and analyzing the appropriate data; communicating their results in writing and in a presentation.

Readings/Bibliography

The class will not be based on any specific textbook. Potentially useful sources, however, are:

1. Causal inference: the mixtape [https://mixtape.scunning.com/] by Scott Cunningham
2. The Effect: An Introduction to Research Design and Causality [https://theeffectbook.net/] by Nick Huntington-Klein
   
3. Economical Writing [https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/E/bo25674588.html] by Deirdre McCloskey
4. Code and Data for the Social Sciences [https://web.stanford.edu/~gentzkow/research/CodeAndData.pdf] by Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse Shapiro
5. Stata Coding Guide [https://julianreif.com/guide/] by Julian Reif

Teaching methods

Slides and Blackboard

Assessment methods

The final grade will be split between:

Research proposal (6 page) --- 70%

Class presentation (10 min) --- 30%

The grading system is on a 0-30 range. The maximum possible score is 30 cum laude, in case everything is correct, complete, and formally rigorous. The following grid applies:

• 30 cum laude: Excellent preparation and analytical skills, expressed in a correct and precise language; ability to analyze critically and to link different concepts, mastery of specific terminology
  
• 27-30: Very good preparation and analytical skills, expressed in a correct and precise language; very good ability to analyze critically and to link different concepts.
  
• 24-27: Good preparation and analytical skills, expressed in a formally correct language. Some minor imprecision in the exposition and use of technical concepts
  
• 21-24: Satisfactory preparation and analytical skills, expressed in a formally correct language. Some imprecisions in the exposition and use of technical concepts
  
• 18-21: Sufficient preparation and analytical skills, expressed in a formally correct language. Many imprecisions in the exposition and use of technical concepts
  
• 17 or less: fail

Candidates will be required to enroll for exams via the University's electronic service (AlmaEsami). Exam marks will be published via the University's electronic service (AlmaEsami).

After exams students will be entitled to see their script by attending the lecturer’s office hour.

Students will be allowed to reject their final grade for the course at most ONCE. When exam results are published, the date by when students must notify the course lecturer f their intention to reject their mark, will be communicated to candidates. Notification of the intention to reject must be sent in writing (by email). After the date specified, marks will be electronically registered (verbalizzato)

Teaching tools

Everything will be available on the platform VIRTUALE: https://virtuale.unibo.it/

Office hours

See the website of Pietro Biroli