Competing models of organizational form: Risk management strategies and underwriting profitability in the Swedish fire insurance market between 1903 and 1939
2012 (English)In: Journal of Economic History, ISSN 0022-0507, E-ISSN 1471-6372, Vol. 72, no 4, p. 990-1014Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Mutual and stock insurers have coexisted and competed against each other in insurance markets for centuries. In this article, we examine the risk management strategies and underwriting profitability of the different organizational forms in Sweden's property fire insurance market between 1903 and 1939. We demonstrate that stock insurers acted as intermediaries between policyholders and reinsurers to operate effectively in the potentially high-risk segments of the fire insurance market. In contrast, nationwide mutual insurers kept larger reserves to balance fluctuations in claims experiences, while local insurance pools relied on social obligation and trust to mobilize capital after adverse fire events.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2012. Vol. 72, no 4, p. 990-1014
National Category
Economic History
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-63622DOI: 10.1017/S0022050712000666ISI: 000312407700005Local ID: 881253OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-63622DiVA, id: diva2:583457
Projects
Financial modernization and economic growth
Funder
Swedish Research Council2013-01-082013-01-032019-02-15Bibliographically approved