The term paper is an opportunity for students to investigate a health economics topic of their own interest and choosing. The students term paper should leavereaders with a thorough understanding of theeconomic research devoted to the topic and of its relevance to society (e.g., healthpolicy, public health)
Word countand style: The minimum word count for this paper is2,000words using double-spaced, left-justifiedparagraphs and 12-pt, Times New Romanfont.This works out to about 12 pages of writing. Include page numbers in the footer.There are threeparts to the paper: the main body, the reference section, and the appendix. The main body of the paper must be a minimum of 2,000words and include only text. Place the Referencesectionafter the main body, and include tables/figures in anappendixafter the reference section. Please use MLA writing style (Modern Language Association Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing). I am not very particular about writing style when it comes to citations and how the references are presented to the reader.I prefer everyone uses MLA, however if you choose a different style, please stick to it.Organization: The basic organization of the paper has three parts: (1) Introduction, (2) Economics Background, (3) Discussion and Conclusion. In the Introduction, the author states thetopic, makes a compelling case for why the topic is important, summarizes themes in the economics and health economics researchon the topic, and givesthe reader an overarching theme to the paper (i.e., what makes your paper more than just a review of past research). This last part forms the basis for the final section, Discussion and Conclusion. In the Economics Background, the author gives a detailed review of the economics and non-economics research that is pertinent to the topic and to thepaper.In the final section, the author synthesizes all the informationfrom the previous section into a salient theme(i.e., the take-away points) and gives readers an understanding of how to utilizethe informationpresented in the paper.References: the paper must include references that are cited in themain body of thepaper. The textbook cannot be one of the references; however, the textbook is an excellent resource for finding references. The references should include articlesfrom academic journals in economics (e.g., Journal of Economic Perspectives, Journal of Health Economics, etc.)or policy (e.g., Health Affairs). If you have questions as to the validity of a reference, please send me an email with the citation and I will determine if it is suitable. The following is anMLAexample of text that includes two citation and examplesof references:
2Main body of paper:Our study is in some respects broader than the work of Hanson and Sullivan (2009) and Chiou and Muehlegger (2010) in that we include data from twenty-nine jurisdictions and the data represent all cigarettes sold in supermarkets, not just a few brands. Reference Section:Hanson, Andrew, and Ryan Sullivan. 2009. The Incidence of Tobacco Taxation: Evidence from Geographic Micro-Level Data. National Tax Journal LXII(4): 677-698.Chiou, Lesley, and Erich J. Muehlegger. 2010. Consumer Response to Cigarette Tax Changes. Harvard University Working Paper, Cambridge,
