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Background Uuncertainty and the Demand for Insurance against Insurable Risks

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Author Info
Luigi Guiso () (University of Sassari, Ente Luigi Einaudi and CEPR)
Tullio Jappelli () (CSEF, Università di Salerno, and CEPR)

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Abstract

Theory suggests that people facing higher uninsurable background risk buy more insurance against other risks that are insurable. This proposition is supported by Italian cross-sectional data. It is shown that the probability of purchasing casualty insurance increases with earnings uncertainty. This finding is consistent with consumer preferences being characterised by decreasing absolute prudence

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy in its series CSEF Working Papers with number 02.

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Date of creation: 01 Apr 1998
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Publication status: Published in The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Theory, May 1998, vol. 23, pages 7-27
Handle: RePEc:sef:csefwp:02

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Related research
Keywords: Insurance; background risk; prudence;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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    Other versions:
  2. Gollier, Christian & Pratt, John W, 1996. "Risk Vulnerability and the Tempering Effect of Background Risk," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(5), pages 1109-23, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. EECKHOUDT, Louis & Christian GOLLIER & Harris SCHLESINGER, 1994. "Changes in Background Risk and Risk Taking Behavior," Working Papers 005, Risk and Insurance Archive. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Guiso, Luigi & Jappelli, Tullio & Terlizzese, Daniele, 1996. "Income Risk, Borrowing Constraints, and Portfolio Choice," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(1), pages 158-72, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  5. Doherty, Neil A & Schlesinger, Harris, 1983. "Optimal Insurance in Incomplete Markets," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 91(6), pages 1045-54, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Gruber, Jonathan & Poterba, James, 1994. "Tax Incentives and the Decision to Purchase Health Insurance: Evidence from the Self-Employed," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 109(3), pages 701-33, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Guiso, Luigi & Jappelli, Tullio & Terlizzese, Daniele, 1992. "Earnings uncertainty and precautionary saving," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 307-337, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Kimball, Miles S, 1993. "Standard Risk Aversion," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 61(3), pages 589-611, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. Lewis, Frank D, 1989. "Dependents and the Demand for Life Insurance," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(3), pages 452-67, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Jonathan S. Skinner, 1987. "Risky Income, Life Cycle Consumption, and Precautionary Savings," NBER Working Papers 2336, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  13. Doherty, Neil A & Schlesinger, Harris, 1983. "The Optimal Deductible for an Insurance Policy When Initial Wealth Is Random," Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 56(4), pages 555-65, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  17. Douglas W. Elmendorf & Miles S. Kimball, 1996. "Taxation of labor income and the demand for risky assets," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 96-32, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
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  18. Mayers, David & Smith, Clifford W, Jr, 1983. "The Interdependence of Individual Portfolio Decisions and the Demand for Insurance," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 91(2), pages 304-11, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Luc Arrondel & Hector Calvo-Pardo, 2002. "Portfolio Choice with a Correlated Background Risk : Theory and Evidence," DELTA Working Papers 2002-16, DELTA (Ecole normale supérieure). [Downloadable!]
  2. Landry, Craig E. & Jahan-Parvar, Mohammad R., 2008. "Flood Insurance Coverage in the Coastal Zone," MPRA Paper 15498, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  3. Thomas Eichner & Andreas Wagener, 2002. "Increases in Risk and the Welfare State," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
  4. Thomas Eichner & Andreas Wagener, 2004. "The Welfare State in a Changing Environment," Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 313-331, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Koeniger, Winfried, 2001. "Labor and Financial Market Interactions: The Case of Labor Income Risk and Car Insurance in the UK 1969-95," IZA Discussion Papers 240, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  6. Luc Arrondel & André Masson, 2002. "Stockholding in France," DELTA Working Papers 2002-09, DELTA (Ecole normale supérieure). [Downloadable!]
  7. Giuseppe Grande & Luigi Ventura, 2001. "Labor Income and Risky Assets under Market Incompleteness: Evidence from Italian Data," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 399, Bank of Italy, Economic Research Department. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Luigi Guiso & Monica Paiella, 2007. "Risk Aversion, Wealth, and Background Risk," Economics Working Papers ECO2007/47, European University Institute. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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