Political Economy of Health

Catalog description

Pre-requisites: DESS 8105. The course proposes that politics and economics are interconnected, and that the primary determinants of the unequal distribution of material resources condition people’s health opportunities. The students critically examine the evidence of these influence s on social stratification; identify institutions and groups involved; and weight the evidence of taking action on these determinants to produce supportive physical and social environment for the reversal of social inequities in health. Group discussions and case studies will be used to illustrate the relative effectiveness of supporting and advocating for healthy public policies in other sectors beyond the conventional health sector. At the end of the course, students will be expected to evaluate economic policies that influence health and the financing and delivery of health-related services for propose courses of action for the reversal of inequities.