Economics and Public Health in the Developing World

This course uses the tools of applied microeconomics to explore major public health issues in the developing world. After establishing an economic approach to disease and health behavior we consider several topics including HIV, malaria, diarrhea, and air pollution. The course will also examine how patients interact with doctors and pharmacists in health care markets. Each topic will feature several papers that illustrate a modern approach to the issue and highlight useful empirical strategies. Along the way, we will weigh the merits of common policy responses to these problems.