Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Chair of Institutional Economics and Health Policy
Institutional Economics in the Healthcare System: Shaping Incentives and Developing Reforms
Institutional economics is a relatively new branch of Economics that examines the impact and design of incentive systems. The fundamental theories here are principal-agent theory and transaction cost economics. These theories are also particularly well suited to examining interactions between service providers, funding bodies and patients within the healthcare system.
The staff at the Chair offer courses on these institutional economics topics. In our research, we use these theories to justify the need for reform in the German healthcare system and to develop proposals for reforms, such as the sustainable financing of healthcare expenditure.
Furthermore, in recent years, in collaboration with the Vestische Kinder- und Jugendklinik in Datteln, a third-party-funded research specialisation has developed in the field of the economic evaluation of new forms of care in paediatrics. The aim here is to use methods from health care economics to examine the costs of new forms of care in relation to their effectiveness.
News
Chair holder
Univ.-Prof. Dr.
Dirk Sauerland , MHE
Chair holder
Faculty of Management, Economics and Society (Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics) | Chair of Institutional Economics and Health Policy
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 Witten
Room number: 1.223
Current research projects
The department is currently carrying out evaluations of health care economics for the following projects. These are funded by the Innovation Fund of the Joint Federal Committee.
Completed research projects
Publications
Teaching
The aim of our courses is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of how institutions function in various areas of politics and economics. Furthermore, we aim to stimulate their interest in engaging intensively, both theoretically and empirically, with relevant research topics in Economics.
Teaching is interactive and closely linked to real-world problems. For the elective modules, we invite practitioners to Witten to take part in the courses or involve them through field trips, for example to the Bundesbank or the Federal Cartel Office.
Teaching on the Bachelor’s degree programme
Prof. Dr Sauerland teaches the compulsory modules ‘Microeconomics’ and ‘Institutional Economics’ across all degree programmes within the Faculty’s Bachelor-of-Choice model.
The ‘Monetary Economics’ (taught in English) and ‘Public Finance’ modules are regularly available as elective courses. In addition, there are elective courses in the fields of health policy, behavioural economics and the module ‘Current Issues in Economics’.
Teaching on the Master’s programme
The Chair regularly offers the course ‘Fundamentals in Microeconomics and Institutional Economics’ as part of the Master’s degree programme in ‘Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE)’. In addition, the compulsory modules include the course ‘Behavioural Economics’, whilst the elective courses feature a range of topics within the module ‘Current Issues in Economics’.
In the Faculty’s MBA degree programme, Prof. Dr Sauerland teaches the module ‘Managerial Economics’.
Teaching on other degree programmes
As part of the degree programme in medicine, staff at the Chair offer a module entitled ‘Fundamentals of Health Care Economics’ within QB03 ‘Health Care Economics, Health Care Systems, Public Health’.
Chair awarded by WiWi-Online
The Chair of Institutional Economics and Health Policy has already produced two winners in previous rounds of WiWi-Online’s WiWi-Talents programme and is being recognised for its outstanding support of young talent.
WiWi-Online is one of the leading providers of economic information for students, lecturers, universities and businesses; the WiWi-Talents programme promotes networking between students of economics and related departments and businesses.
Team at the Chair of Institutional Economics and Health Policy
Dr. rer. pol.
Anne Kitschen , M. A.
Researcher
Faculty of Management, Economics and Society (Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics) | Chair of Institutional Economics and Health Policy
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 WittenRoom number: 1.228
Lulseged Asegu , M. Sc. M. Sc.
Researcher
Faculty of Management, Economics and Society (Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics) | Chair of Institutional Economics and Health Policy
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 WittenRoom number: 1.228
Shkelqim Tahiri , M. Sc.
Researcher
Faculty of Management, Economics and Society (Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics) | Chair of Institutional Economics and Health Policy
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 WittenRoom number: 1228
Tina Göge
Secretariat
Faculty of Management, Economics and Society (Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics) | Chair of Institutional Economics and Health Policy
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 WittenRoom number: 1.229