Research Methods for Health System Analysis

GHP 292 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

This course is designed to help students learn about methods for health system research, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries. The study of health systems differs methodologically from the study of population health in important ways. Health systems are large, complex, interactive systems. As such, the methods used for inference and analysis in population health (randomized controlled trials, and observational empirical studies that seek causal inference by seeking to approximate the RCT model) are often – although not always -- challenging or impossible to apply. Understanding variation in health system performance across countries, regions, and time therefore requires that researchers learn how to apply a range of research methods, often spanning multiple social science disciplines. 
The first half of the course will introduce the methods for qualitative, comparative analysis of health systems, from research design to fieldwork. The second half of the course will focus on statistical methods, including cross-country regressions, multi-level models, and program evaluations of health system topics. The focus in these sessions will be on how valid empirical designs can be generated and implemented despite the complex nature of health systems. In both cases, the focus is both on the intellectual tools required but also the practical implementation of such research. For qualitative cross country work, this means extensive discussion of fieldwork and qualitative research methods. For empirical work, the course includes a replication exercise to gives students direct exposure to high quality published work.
This course is likely to be especially relevant to doctoral students in the Department of Global Health and Population Health Systems Area of Specialization.