nep-ias New Economics Papers
on Insurance Economics
Issue of 2008‒08‒14
three papers chosen by
Soumitra K Mallick
Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Bussiness Management

  1. Social Health Insurance in Vietnam By Giang, Thanh Long
  2. A priori ratemaking using bivariate poisson regression models By Lluis Bermúdez i Morata
  3. Access to irrigation and the escape from poverty: Evidence from Northern Mali By Dillon, Andrew

  1. By: Giang, Thanh Long
    Abstract: This paper aims to provide an overview of the social health insurance scheme in Vietnam, including historical development and current policy issues. It shows that the scheme has significantly contributed to the impressive progresses of the country’s health sector, but it also will face a variety of administrative and financial challenges posed by labor mobility, widening inequality, poverty severity, and expected aging population. The paper also discusses some policy recommendations to improve effectiveness of the scheme, as well as to cope with challenges for further development.
    Keywords: social health insurance; health care financing; Vietnam
    JEL: I18 I19
    Date: 2008–05
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:9926&r=ias
  2. By: Lluis Bermúdez i Morata (RFA-IREA, Universitat de Barcelona.)
    Abstract: In automobile insurance, it is useful to achieve a priori ratemaking by resorting to gene- ralized linear models, and here the Poisson regression model constitutes the most widely accepted basis. However, insurance companies distinguish between claims with or without bodily injuries, or claims with full or partial liability of the insured driver. This paper exa- mines an a priori ratemaking procedure when including two di®erent types of claim. When assuming independence between claim types, the premium can be obtained by summing the premiums for each type of guarantee and is dependent on the rating factors chosen. If the independence assumption is relaxed, then it is unclear as to how the tari® system might be a®ected. In order to answer this question, bivariate Poisson regression models, suitable for paired count data exhibiting correlation, are introduced. It is shown that the usual independence assumption is unrealistic here. These models are applied to an automobile insurance claims database containing 80,994 contracts belonging to a Spanish insurance company. Finally, the consequences for pure and loaded premiums when the independence assumption is relaxed by using a bivariate Poisson regression model are analysed.
    Date: 2008–07
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:xrp:wpaper:xreap2008-09&r=ias
  3. By: Dillon, Andrew
    Abstract: "Significant changes in the agricultural sector in northern Mali suggest that irrigation has made a large contribution to welfare increases over the past eight years. Using difference-in-differences, propensity score matching, and matched difference in differences with a small panel, this study estimates the impact of access to irrigation on poverty, production, and nutrient intakes. The findings suggest that gains in agricultural production value do not transfer uniquely to household consumption. The paper tests two alternative hypotheses about the distribution of agricultural gains: (1) the gains in agricultural production induced by irrigation yield higher household savings, or (2) intra-village transfers from irrigators to non-irrigators contribute to informal social insurance. The paper provides evidence of both saving and sharing within villages as complimentary strategies for consuming gains in agricultural production. This finding suggests that estimating the effects of a program, relying solely on household consumption, may underestimate the welfare gains of irrigation investment by ignoring the household's savings and informal insurance network." from Author's Abstract
    Keywords: Irrigation, Informal insurance, Development strategy,
    Date: 2008
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:782&r=ias

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