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The crowding-out effect of formal insurance on informal risk sharing: An experimental study

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  • Lin, Wanchuan
  • Liu, Yiming
  • Meng, Juanjuan

Abstract

This paper investigates the crowding-out effect of formal insurance on informal risk-sharing arrangements via theory and laboratory experiment. Our model and simulation predict that the crowding out of private transfers is often more than one-for-one and will reduce the total risk coverage. Furthermore, the existence of a moderate degree of altruism exaggerates the crowding-out effect, especially when there is an ex-ante income inequality. These predictions are mostly supported by the laboratory experiment, except that the crowding-out effect is not more than one-for-one, and hence the total risk coverage is not significantly reduced by formal insurance.

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  • Lin, Wanchuan & Liu, Yiming & Meng, Juanjuan, 2014. "The crowding-out effect of formal insurance on informal risk sharing: An experimental study," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 184-211.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:gamebe:v:86:y:2014:i:c:p:184-211
    DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2014.03.004
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    2. Pia, Medrano, 2022. "Insurance and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Philippine Urban and Rural Households," MPRA Paper 112399, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Renate Strobl & Conny Wunsch, 2017. "Does Voluntary Risk Taking Affect Solidarity? Experimental Evidence from Kenya," CESifo Working Paper Series 6578, CESifo.
    4. Nikolov, Plamen & Bonci, Matthew, 2020. "Do public program benefits crowd out private transfers in developing countries? A critical review of recent evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
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    6. Grimm, Michael & Hartwig, Renate & Reitmann, Ann-Kristin & Bocoum, Fadima Yaya, 2021. "Inter-household transfers: An empirical investigation of the income-transfer relationship with novel data from Burkina Faso," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    7. Strobl, Renate & Wunsch, Conny, 2018. "Risky Choices and Solidarity: Why Experimental Design Matters," Working papers 2018/17, Faculty of Business and Economics - University of Basel.
    8. Andinet Woldemichael & Shiferaw Gurmu, 2018. "An Empirical Analysis of Health Shocks and Informal Risk Sharing Networks," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 30(1), pages 100-111, March.
    9. Lin, Wanchuan & Meng, Juanjuan & Weng, Xi, 2020. "Formal insurance and informal risk sharing dynamics," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 837-863.
    10. Glenn W. Harrison & Jia Min Ng, 2019. "Behavioral insurance and economic theory: A literature review," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 22(2), pages 133-182, July.
    11. Nigus, Halefom & Nillesen, Eleonora & Mohnen, Pierre, 2018. "The effect of weather index insurance on social capital: Experimental evidence from Ethiopia," MERIT Working Papers 2018-007, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    12. Strupat, Christoph & Klohn, Florian, 2018. "Crowding out of solidarity? Public health insurance versus informal transfer networks in Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 212-221.
    13. Hanna Freudenreich & Marcela Ibanez & Stephan Dietrich & Oliver Musshoff, 2018. "Formal insurance, risk sharing, and the dynamics of other-regarding preferences," Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (DARE) Discussion Papers 266532, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (DARE).
    14. Paan Jindapon & Pacharasut Sujarittanonta & Ajalavat Viriyavipart, 2022. "Income Interdependence and Informal Risk Sharing Under the Shadow of the Future," PIER Discussion Papers 191, Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research.
    15. Lenel, Friederike & Steiner, Susan, 2020. "Formal insurance and solidarity. Experimental evidence from Cambodia," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 212-234.
    16. Grimm, Michael & Hartwig, Renate & Reitmann, Ann-Kristin & Bocoum, Fadima Yaya, 2020. "Can informal redistribution withstand formal safety nets? Insights from urban-rural transfers in Burkina Faso," Passauer Diskussionspapiere, Volkswirtschaftliche Reihe V-81-20, University of Passau, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    17. Landmann, Andreas & Vollan, Björn & Henning, Karla & Frölich, Markus, 2020. "Crowding-Out or Crowding-In? Heterogeneous Effects of Insurance on Solidarity," IZA Discussion Papers 13688, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Lichand, Guilherme & Mani, Anandi, 2016. "Cognitive Droughts," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 298, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    19. Hample, Kelsey C, 2021. "Formal insurance for the informally insured: Experimental evidence from Kenya," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 22(C).
    20. Vorlaufer, Tobias & Steimanis, Ivo, 2023. "Solidarity under heterogenous adaptation costs: Experimental evidence on coping after climate hazards," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    21. Aida, Takeshi & Sawada, Yasuyuki, 2016. "Altruism or Exchange? Experimental Evidence on the Motives behind Private Transfers in Sri Lanka," Working Papers 132, JICA Research Institute.
    22. Lenel, Friederike & Steiner, Susan, 2017. "Insurance and Solidarity: Evidence from a Lab-in-the-Field Experiment in Cambodia," IZA Discussion Papers 10986, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    23. Hample, Kelsey C, 2020. "Experimental methodology: Assigning pro-social groups in the lab," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    24. Stoeffler, Quentin & Opuz, Gülce, 2022. "Price, information and product quality: Explaining index insurance demand in Burkina Faso," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Informal risk sharing; Insurance; Crowding-out effect; Altruism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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