Learning outcomes:

By the end of the course, participants should be
•    familiar with the applicability of economic evaluation for social decision making
•    familiar with main methods used in different types of economic appraisal
•    able to critically assess analyses that are used as an aid in public decision making
•    able to carry out standard cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness analyses. 

General description:

The course gives an analytical viewpoint to the evaluation of multidisciplinary issues. It covers a range of economic approaches that can be described as cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness analyses, which are broadly used in assessing the social value of all kinds of public projects and policies. Such methods are commonly used in the health care sector, but the course surveys also other fields of application, such as social care, education, fire safety, traffic planning, etc. The need for economic appraisal is constantly increasing in all fields, and capability to conduct such analyses is a valuable asset for all whose work touches on social planning.

The course starts with an overview of the theory underlying economic evaluation, and presents some representative applications of the framework. Then, the course digs deeper into the practical applicability of the methods in various exemplary fields. In particular, the methodological and data-dependent pitfalls of the applications are discussed, and the examples are illustrated by computer aided exercises. The final part of the course shows how to generate cost-effectiveness information through decision analytic Markov-modelling for using them in practical decision making (including applications in mass screening in public health, school dropout, etc.).

Enrolment in NettiOpsu. At the maximum 30 students. Selection method is draw.

Lecturers:
Jean-Michel Josselin (professor, University of Rennes 1, France)
Pekka Rissanen (professor, University of Tampere, Faculty of Social Sciences (Health Sciences))
Neill Booth (researcher, University of Tampere, Faculty of Social Sciences (Health Sciences))
Tuomas Laine (researcher, University of Tampere, School of Management).

Teaching:

Mon 15.5. klo 10-14, Pekka Rissanen (Atalpa 208)
Tue 16.5. klo 10-14, Pekka Rissanen (Atalpa 208)
Wed 17.5. klo  9-12, Tuomas Laine (Atalpa 208)
Thu 18.5. klo 10-14, Neill Booth (Atalpa 208)
Fri 19.5. klo 9-12, Neill Booth (computer classroom 51, Linna building)
Mon 22.5. klo 9-12, Neill Booth (computer classroom 51, Linna building)
Tue 23.5. klo 10-14, Jean-Michel Josselin (computer classroom Ml 8, (Tietopinni))
Wed 24.5. klo 10-14, Jean-Michel Josselin (computer classroom Ml 8, (Tietopinni))


Evaluation criteria
The coursework is evaluated upon
•    active participation in lectures
•    completion of a given exercise task (individually or in small-groups)
•    a written learning diary.

Further information
This course is targeted for all doctoral researchers who find economic assessment of public policies relevant to their doctoral studies. Advanced graduate students are secondarily eligible to the course within the teaching group limits (about 30 students).