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Livestock insurance, moral hazard, and farmers’ decisions: a field experiment among hog farms in China

Author

Listed:
  • Xudong Rao

    (North Dakota State University)

  • Yuehua Zhang

    (Zhejiang University)

Abstract

Moral hazard is believed to influence farmers’ production decisions and undermine the effectiveness of insurance programmes. In this study, a 2-year field experiment is conducted among hog farms in four townships in China to investigate the effects of a government-subsidised insurance programme on farmers’ decisions and production outcomes. A joint estimation procedure combining propensity score matching with difference-in-difference is deployed to control for selection bias caused by observable and unobservable heterogeneity between treatment and control groups. We find robust evidence that this insurance programme has led to increased hog mortality rates, suggesting the possible presence of hazardous actions. Meanwhile, hog stock levels have remained unaffected by insurance participation, contradicting findings in previous studies. Furthermore, insurance participation is found to increase farmers’ willingness to report animal diseases to governments, thereby facilitating government efforts to prevent and monitor outbreaks of animal disease epidemics.

Suggested Citation

  • Xudong Rao & Yuehua Zhang, 2020. "Livestock insurance, moral hazard, and farmers’ decisions: a field experiment among hog farms in China," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 45(1), pages 134-156, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:gpprii:v:45:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1057_s41288-019-00151-9
    DOI: 10.1057/s41288-019-00151-9
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    Cited by:

    1. Qingyin Cai & Yulian Ding & Calum Tuvey & Yuehua Zhang, 2021. "The influence of past experience on farmers’ preferences for hog insurance products: a natural experiment and choice experiment in China," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 46(3), pages 399-421, July.
    2. Rao, Xudong & Cai, Qingyin & Zhang, Yuehua, 2021. "Moral Hazard in Compulsory Insurance – Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment on Hog Insurance in China," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315356, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
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