210068 SE BAK13 SE Staatstätigkeit, Policy- und Governanceanalysen (2023W)

This course explores the roles of policymaking in health, in particular those related to inequity. Health in this course is understood as a broad concept including overall wellbeing and quality of life, and entails various social determinants of health. The following questions are addressed: What is health and how can it be measured? Is health inequity a new thing? How do different policy instruments and other factors in the policymaking process influence and reinforce existing inequalities in health, or even create new ones? What kind of policies can help reduce health inequities, and what are the challenges of implementing them?

By analysing how health inequity and related policies are experienced, understood and interpreted by different stakeholders, including those who are affected by these policies, students will be familiarised with important empirical and theoretical approaches to health policy issues. These will be based on concrete case studies and examples including, but not limited to: global health issues such as climate change; gender, ethnicity and health; income and health; and digital health.

Goals: The goals of the course are for students to have good understandings of 1) measurements of health inequality and inequity both at population and individual level, 2) various determinants of health (biological and social) and health inequity, and 3) contemporary health inequity-related issues and policies.

The course materials are composed of texts using quantitative and qualitative methods. Nevertheless, the course is dedicated to qualitative and interpretative approaches to understanding and interpreting health policy makings and students will be strongly encouraged to collect their own qualitative data (such as via interviews) when writing their final term paper.

Methods: The course is composed of series of interactive lectures, exercises, discussions and presentations led both by the course instructor and students. The instructor will also share her own experiences – positive, negative and lessons learned – from the field and conducting qualitative health research.

Prior knowledge in health-related topics or disciplines are not required. However, interests in health inequity, public health, health-related policies and social determinants of health could be an advantage. Students must be able to read texts in English and German, and have knowledge and skills writing scientific texts in English following good scientific practice.

The course is taught in English and students are encouraged to use English in class as well as write their assignments and term paper in English. However, native-level English skill is not expected and will not be the main criteria for the final grade. Interviews can be conducted in languages other than English. If students have any concerns with regard to language, they can consult the instructor by email.