ATI5081 · Comparative health policy and politics

Overview

Countries around the world have organized their health systems in different ways and taken different approaches to address health problems. Despite comparatively lower health spending, many low- and middle-income countries have made remarkable progress in health and human development. Yet, health systems in most countries have been plagued by inequities and policy dilemmas. This unit will provide you with a comparative global perspective to the organization of health systems and orient them towards developing comparative skills to analyze contemporary issues in healthcare. It aims to help you understand the evolution of health systems, think critically about their respective strengths and weaknesses, and appreciate how health priorities are established in a world of limited resources and the factors that influence key policy decisions. The unit will explore the policy challenges of health systems, advantages, and challenges of comparative policy analysis in the health sector, contrasting models of health service delivery, need for addressing social determinants of health, and issues in collaborative governance and cross-border healthcare. It will also highlight how health agendas and policies are shaped by politics, the uniqueness of healthcare and its politics, and how awareness of its politics can facilitate more meaningful comparative policy analysis.

Areas of study: Public Policy

Offerings

The Handbook publishes no offerings for this unit.

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Analyze the evolution and contemporary state of health systems in different countries, policy options and choice implications;
2. Identify and explain the linkages between health policy and politics;
3. Critically examine the advantages and challenges of comparative health policy analysis;
4. Apply comparative policy analysis to contemporary issues in national and transnational healthcare;
5. Communicate your findings in a range of formats for a variety of audiences.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.