98352 - HEALTH INEQUALITY OVER THE LIFE CYCLE: MEASUREMENT AND POLICIES

Learning outcomes

Physical and mental health are fundamental components of everyone’s well-being and contribute to their social and economic success. However, not everyone is the same, and differences in health are strongly intertwined with social and economic inequality.

In this course, we will learn about the origin and the evolution of these differences in health over the life cycle. We will study how to measure these differences from conception to old age; how these differences have been connected to the individual, family, neighborhood, national, and global phenomenons; we will analyze different policies and interventions that have tried to alleviate these differences; and we will see how these differences contribute to the rising inequality in the last century.

Course contents

This course will cover the following topics:

• Measurement of inequality (statistics)
• Mortality, fertility, and birth outcomes (demographics)
• Health behaviors (economics)
• Mental Health (psych)
• The early origin hypothesis (epidemiology)
• Social Genomics (behavioral genetics)

Readings/Bibliography

Useful references are

• Bhattacharya, Hyde, Tu (2013), Health Economics, Palgrave
• O'Donnell, Owen; van Doorslaer, Eddy; Wagstaff, Adam; Lindelow, Magnus. 2008. Analyzing Health Equity Using Household Survey Data : A Guide to Techniques and Their Implementation. Washington, DC: World Bank. © World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/6896

Additional references to scientific articles will be provided in the syllabus

Teaching methods

Standard lectures and presentations by students

Copies of teaching materials (slides, presentations, syllabus) will be published on the university platform VIRTUALE: http://virtuale.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=34785

Assessment methods

The final grade will be split between:

Class participation and final presentation --- 30%

Final essay --- 70%

The final essay can be written individually or by groups of maximum 3 students. It must be structured as an academic article (general introduction, problem statement/research question, theoretical framework, research methods, results, discussion and conclusions, bibliography). The topic is chosen by the students, upon approval by the lecturer. Students must deliver the essay by the deadline announced in class (typically, at the date of the exam session).

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