Course 2011-2012 a.y.

Course Objectives

Global health is an emerging area of interdisciplinary research and practice that analyses the effects of globalization on population health, emphasizing transnational health issues and their interactions with national and local systems.
Working on Global Health requires the acquisition of multi-disciplinary analytical, policy-making and management skills, as well as the capacity to manage the relations with different stakeholders (public, private, civil society) and their interactions at all levels.

The course is structured in two conceptual blocks. The first block introduces students to global health related issues, analyzing the relevant connections between the process of globalization, development and health. It then analyzes the global health governance and its impact on health systems and people's access to health services, in the wider context of development policies and assistance. The second block, after and introduction to health systems and policies in developing countries focuses on:

• the relationship between development assistance and health systems development.
• health financing and incentive mechanisms to improve the quality of and access to health care.
• delivering health services and the role of health care management in developing countries.

Course Content Summary

• Links between globalization, development, and health.
• The political economy of health and development.
• The evolution of public health strategies in the context of global development policies.
• Global health governance and the interactions among global actors; their influence on global and national health policies and their implementation (multilaterals, bilaterals, corporate sector, philanthropy, NGOs, global public private partnerships).
• Managing global health challenges (migration, commercialization, disasters and pandemics).
• Global health financing and development assistance for health.
• Health systems in developing countries and their national and international stakeholders.
• Health financing and incentive mechanisms to improve the quality and access to health care.
• Health care management in contexts with limited resources.
• Introduction to global health research.

By the end of this course students:

• are familiar with an multi-disciplinary approach to key issues in global health;
• develop a systematic and critical view on global health in the wider context of global development;
• are able to examine policies, strategies, and managerial approaches of global actors;
• are able to identify the key issues in health policy formulation and implementation in developing countries;
• are able to adopt a systematic view on the main challenges related to health systems, policies and management in developing countries.

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

Attending students

The assessment is based on:

• a mid term written exercise (30%);
• a group project (20%)
• a individual research work (50%)

Non attending students

The assessment is based on: 

• a written exam (100%)

Textbooks

Course reader

Prerequisites