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Moral Hazard in a Mutual Health Insurance System: German Knappschaften, 1867–1914

Author

Listed:
  • Guinnane, Timothy W.
  • Streb, Jochen

Abstract

The Knappschaft was a mutual association through which German miners insured themselves against accident, illness, and old age. The Knappschaft underlies Bismarck's sickness and accident insurance legislation, and thus Germany's system today. This article focuses on moral hazard, which plagued the Knappschaften in the later nineteenth century. Sick pay made it attractive for miners to feign illness that made them unable to work. We outline the moral hazard problem the Knappschaften faced as well as the mechanisms they devised to control it, and then use econometric models to demonstrate that those mechanisms were at best imperfect.

Suggested Citation

  • Guinnane, Timothy W. & Streb, Jochen, 2011. "Moral Hazard in a Mutual Health Insurance System: German Knappschaften, 1867–1914," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 71(1), pages 70-104, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:71:y:2011:i:01:p:70-104_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Timothy W. Guinnane & Jochen Streb, 2012. "Incentives that saved lives: Government regulation of accident insurance associations in Germany, 1884-1914," Working Papers 1013, Economic Growth Center, Yale University.
    2. Maria Stanfors & Tobias Karlsson & Lars‐Fredrik Andersson & Liselotte Eriksson, 2024. "Between voluntarism and compulsion: Membership in mutual health insurance societies in Swedish manufacturing, c. 1900," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 77(1), pages 244-267, February.
    3. Guinnane, Timothy & Streb, Jochen, 2019. "Bismarck to no Effect: Fertility Decline and the Introduction of Social Insurance in Prussia," Working Papers 13, German Research Foundation's Priority Programme 1859 "Experience and Expectation. Historical Foundations of Economic Behaviour", Humboldt University Berlin.
    4. Lars Fredrik Andersson & Liselotte Eriksson, 2016. "Voluntary or compulsory? Exploring dynamics of mutual cooperative formation in Swedish health insurance at the turn of the twentieth century," Working Papers 16007, Economic History Society.
    5. Timothy W. Guinnane, 2011. "The Historical Fertility Transition: A Guide for Economists," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 49(3), pages 589-614, September.
    6. Jopp, Tobias Alexander, 2010. "The welfare state evolves: German Knappschaften, 1854 - 1923," FZID Discussion Papers 16-2010, University of Hohenheim, Center for Research on Innovation and Services (FZID).
    7. Bublitz, Elisabeth & Wyrwich, Michael, 2018. "Technological change and labor market integration," WiSo-HH Working Paper Series 45, University of Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, WISO Research Laboratory.
    8. Timothy Guinnane & Jochen Streb, 2012. "Incentives that Saved Lives: Government Regulation of Accident Insurance Associations in Germany, 1884–1914," Ruhr Economic Papers 0364, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    9. Lehmann-Hasemeyer, Sibylle H. & Streb, Jochen, 2016. "Does Social Security Crowd Out Private Savings? The Case of Bismarck’s System of Social Insurance," Working Papers 1, German Research Foundation's Priority Programme 1859 "Experience and Expectation. Historical Foundations of Economic Behaviour", Humboldt University Berlin.
    10. Jopp, Tobias Alexander, 2011. "Old Times, Better Times? German Miners' Knappschaften, Pay-as-you-go Pensions, and Implicit Rates of Return, 1854–1913," Ruhr Economic Papers 238, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    11. Catarina Goulão & Luca Panaccione, 2015. "Pooling promises with moral hazard," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 35(1), pages 460-465.
    12. Stanfors, Maria & Karlsson, Tobias & Andersson, Lars-Fredrik & Eriksson, Liselotte, 2022. "Membership in Mutual Health Insurance Societies: The Case of Swedish Manufacturing, circa 1900," Lund Papers in Economic History 238, Lund University, Department of Economic History.
    13. Timothy W. Guinnane & Tobias A. Jopp & Jochen Streb, 2021. "Bismarcks Sozialversicherung und ihr Einfluss auf Deutschlands demografischen Wandel," Wirtschaftsdienst, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 101(4), pages 262-265, April.
    14. Tobias A. Jopp, 2011. "Old Times, Better Times? German Miners’ Knappschaften, Pay-as-you-go Pensions, and Implicit Rates of Return, 1854–1913," Ruhr Economic Papers 0238, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    15. Elisabeth Bublitz & Michael Wyrwich, 2024. "Labor market changes and social inclusiveness across regions: evidence from the rise of the modern office," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 72(3), pages 863-879, March.
    16. Lehmann-Hasemeyer, Sibylle & Streb, Jochen, 2017. "Does Social Security crowd out Private Savings? The Case of Bismarck’s System of Social Insurance," IBF Paper Series 06-17, IBF – Institut für Bank- und Finanzgeschichte / Institute for Banking and Financial History, Frankfurt am Main.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N33 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • N43 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • H53 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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