Weekly reading assignment:
Each week you will be asked to pick one reading from the weeks assignments and answer the following questions. Your responses should total one to two pages (600-1200 words) in length. Late homework assignments may be accepted.
a) Who is the author? Do they have an interest in a particular outcome?
b) What is the point of the paper? Is there a question the paper is trying to answer?
c) What is the paper’s methodology? Is the paper theoretical, empirical, a meta-analysis, a case study, or something else?
d) What is the data of the paper? What set of information is the paper using to draw its conclusions? How generalizable is this information?
e) What is the paper’s conclusion? Are any robustness checks or sensitivity analyses used? Does this conclusion overlook anything; how would you criticize this conclusion?
f) What effect might this paper have on other papers, the field, or society? What additional questions might future researchers ask to build upon this paper?
Reading assignment 1: Due January 29
Complete the weekly reading assignment questions for one of this weeks readings (Note, there was some confusion so either Fuchs reading would be acceptable):
• Fuchs, Victor R. “Economics, values, and health care reform.” American Economic Review 86, no. 1 (1996): 1-24.
• Fuchs, Victor R. “Major trends in the US health economy since 1950.” New England Journal of Medicine 366, no. 11 (2012): 973-977.
• Deaton, Angus. “The great escape: A review of robert fogel’s the escape from hunger and premature death, 1700-2100.” Journal of Economic Literature 44, no. 1 (2006): 106-114.
• Cutler, David, and Grant Miller. “The role of public health improvements in health advances: the twentieth-century United States.” Demography 42, no. 1 (2005): 1-22.
Online lecture response assignment 1: Due January 29
Watch Angus Deaton – “The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality” at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs and answer the following questions (each question should be answered in one to four sentences
What were some of the examples of technical progress in health in the 18th century? vs progress in the 20th and 21st?
What is an explination of the increase in life experience in China increase of 15 years of LE in 10 years?
What explained South Africa’s relationship between their economy and health being an outlier in the 1960s? in the 2000s?
According to Deaton, what are less scary drivers of inequality? Why less scary?
According to Deaton, what are more scary drivers of inequality? Why more scary?
Deaton mentions Thomas Piketty, perhaps the most famous young economist today. If you are unfamiliar with Pikkety, you may want to watch this three minute primer. What is the relevance of Piketty to Deaton’s presentation?
What does the history of health in high income countries lead Deaton to conclude is the best policies for improving health in poor countries today?
Reading Assignment 2: Due February 5
Complete the weekly reading assignment questions for one of this weeks readings:
• Nyman, John A. “Is ‘moral hazard’ inefficient? The policy implications of a new theory.” Health Affairs 23, no. 5 (2004): 194-199.
Reading assignment 3: (Due February 12)
Complete the weekly reading assignment questions for one of this weeks readings:
• Gruber, Jonathan. The role of consumer copayments for health care: lessons from the RAND health insurance experiment and beyond. Menlo Park, CA: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2006.
• James, Julia. “The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, ” Health Affairs Health Policy Brief, July 16, 2015
Online lecture response assignment 2: Due February 12
Listen to the Econtalk podcast, Frakt on Medicaid and the Oregon Medicaid Study.
Answer the following questions (one to three sentences per question):
a) What was the sampling methodology of the study?
b) What is the power of a study? Frakt complains this study was under-powered; what does he mean?
c) What were some of the physical health outcomes in the study? What are some of the point estimates of the effects of the program on these outcomes?
d) Can you briefly explain the (libertarian) critique of Medicaid that Roberts posits?
e) What was the effect of the Affordable Care Act on Medicaid, according to Frakt? What is the importance of the Oregon study on future policy and why does Frakt’s critique of the published results of the Oregon study matter?
Reading assignment 4: (Due February 19)
Everybody should signup for and listen to the podcast related to one philosopher from the sign up sheet. It is recommended that they also sign up for and listen to a second podcast about a second philosopher. If you listen to two podcasts, readings are optional. If you listen to only one podcast, also read one of the following:
• Gawande, Atul. “Is health care a right?” New Yorker, October 2, 2017
• Section I (pages 5-10) of Ruger, Jennifer Prah. “Toward a theory of a right to health: capability and incompletely theorized agreements.” Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities 18, no. 2 (2006): 3.
Answer the following questions (one to three sentences per question):
a) What is the role of government in our lives according to the philosopher(s) whose podcasts you listened to?
b) What are some alternatives discussed in the podcast or readings?
c) Would your philosopher(s) consider social services, and in particular health insurance or provision, part of governments role? Why or why not?
d) What are the basic principles your philosopher holds that explain your answer to c?
e) (optional) Think about two or three prominent politicians who have opinions on this question. Do they derive there opinions from similar principles? Different principles? No principles?
Note: your answers should be brief, for my own sanity I do not plan to read exceptionally long answers.
Reading assignment 5: Due February 26
Sorry for posting this late:
Complete the weekly reading assignment questions for this weeks reading:
• Berndt, Ernst R. “Pharmaceuticals in US health care: determinants of quantity and price.” Journal of Economic perspectives 16, no. 4 (2002): 45-66.
Online lecture response assignment 3: Due February 26
Listen to one of the assigned Angell pieces and answer the following questions:
a) Who is the author? Do they have an interest in a particular outcome?
b) What is the point of the piece? Is there a question the piece is trying to answer?
c) What is the data of the piece? What set of information is the piece using to draw its conclusions? How generalizable is this information?
d) What is the piece’s conclusion? Are any robustness checks or sensitivity analyses used? Does this conclusion overlook anything; how would you criticize this conclusion?
e) What effect might this piece have on other papers, the field, or society? What additional questions might future researchers ask to build upon this paper?
Reading assignment 6: Due March 4
Complete the weekly reading assignment questions for this weeks reading:
• Viscusi, W. Kip. “The value of risks to life and health.” Journal of economic literature 31, no. 4 (1993): 1912-1946.
Reading assignment 7: Due March 11
Complete the weekly reading assignment questions for one of this weeks reading:
• Cutler, David, Angus Deaton, and Adriana Lleras-Muney. “The determinants of mortality.” Journal of economic perspectives 20, no. 3 (2006): 97-120.
• Cutler, David M., Edward L. Glaeser, and Jesse M. Shapiro. “Why have Americans become more obese?.” Journal of Economic perspectives 17, no. 3 (2003): 93-118.
• Almond, Douglas, and Janet Currie. “Killing me softly: The fetal origins hypothesis.” Journal of economic perspectives 25, no. 3 (2011): 153-72.
Online lecture response assignment 4: Due March 11
Listen to the podcast, Russ Roberts and Darius Lakdawalla, The Economics of Obesity, Econ Talk, Sep 25 2006, and answer the following questions:
a) Why is it sometimes not unhealthy to be overweight?
b) What is the difference between personal taste explanations and cost explanations for the growth in obesity?
c) How has technology changed the types of food found in vending machines since the 1970s?
d) What theories explain why English speaking countries have seen the fastest growth in obesity?
e) Do you think people choose to be obese? What do economists mean when they say that for most people, obesity is a choice?
f) What are some possible policy proposals for reducing obesity either discussed in the podcast or that the podcat made you think about?
Reading assignment 8: Due March 25
Complete the weekly reading assignment questions for one of this weeks reading:
• Rosenthal, Meredith B., and R. Adams Dudley. “Pay-for-performance: will the latest payment trend improve care?.” Jama 297, no. 7 (2007): 740-744.
• Jha, Ashish K., Karen E. Joynt, E. John Orav, and Arnold M. Epstein. “The long-term effect of premier pay for performance on patient outcomes.” New England Journal of Medicine 366, no. 17 (2012): 1606-1615.
• Mendelson, Aaron, Karli Kondo, Cheryl Damberg, Allison Low, Makalapua Motúapuaka, Michele Freeman, Maya O’neil, Rose Relevo, and Devan Kansagara. “The effects of pay-for-performance programs on health, health care use, and processes of care: a systematic review.” Annals of internal medicine 166, no. 5 (2017): 341-353.
Reading assignment 9: Due April 1
Complete the weekly reading assignment questions for this weeks reading:
• Thurnstrom et al. The Benefits and Costs of Flattening the Curve for COVID-19, SSRN, 2020
Reading assignment 10: Due April 8 (worth 20 points)
Listen to the podcast:
• Rationally Speaking, David Roodman on Worm Wars, New York City Skeptics, March 19, 2017
Complete the weekly reading assignment questions for this weeks reading:
• Ahuja, Amrita, Sarah Baird, Joan Hamory Hicks, Michael Kremer, and Edward Miguel. “Economics of Mass Deworming Programs.” DCP-3 Education (2018): 201.
Additionally, answer the following questions:
i) What is the difference between the econ and epidemiology camp in the Worm Wars? Why do economists draw different conclusions than epidemiologists?
ii) What is the difference between a study showing “no effect” and “no effect which is statistically significant”?
iii) Give examples of situations either in your work or in positions you’ve been involved in where “statistical significance” of a study is more important or less important?
iv) Do you feel like worm wars would have been different if they concerned a disease more prevalent in high income countries rather than conditions faced mostly by low income countries? Give some possible differences.
Reading assignment 11: due April 22
Complete the weekly reading assignment for one of this weeks readings:
• Sommers, Benjamin D., Katherine Baicker, and Arnold M. Epstein. “Mortality and access to care among adults after state Medicaid expansions.” New England Journal of Medicine 367, no. 11 (2012): 1025-1034.
• Card, David, Carlos Dobkin, and Nicole Maestas. “Does Medicare save lives?.” The quarterly journal of economics 124, no. 2 (2009): 597-636.