IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ids/ijfsmg/v5y2012i3p239-255.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Efficiency and scale economies in the Japanese non-life insurance industry

Author

Listed:
  • Yap Yin Choo

Abstract

This paper studies efficiency and scale economies in the Japanese non-life insurance industry using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) with inclusion of input prices in the model. Japanese non-life insurers generally score quite high in technical efficiency but low in allocative efficiency, which implies that they are not good at using the best cost-minimising input mix. The efficiency gap among the insurers increased tremendously after deregulation. However, it decreased gradually soon after and has become stable in recent years. The findings also reveal that cost and scale efficiency increase with larger size but diminish when beyond the minimum efficient scale. In addition, insurers that are more diversified are found to be more cost efficient. Against the recent background of mergers and acquisitions among the big insurers, this paper offers a cautionary note to these mega insurers that seek benefits of economies of scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Yap Yin Choo, 2012. "Efficiency and scale economies in the Japanese non-life insurance industry," International Journal of Financial Services Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(3), pages 239-255.
    • Handle: RePEc:ids:ijfsmg:v:5:y:2012:i:3:p:239-255
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=46950
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cummins, J. David & Rubio-Misas, Maria, 2006. "Deregulation, Consolidation, and Efficiency: Evidence from the Spanish Insurance Industry," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 38(2), pages 323-355, March.
    2. Leverty, J. Tyler & Grace, Martin F., 2010. "The robustness of output measures in property-liability insurance efficiency studies," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1510-1524, July.
    3. Rudra Sensarma & M. Jayadev, 2010. "Efficiency, scale economies and valuation effects: evidence from bank mergers in India," International Journal of Financial Services Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 4(4), pages 311-337.
    4. Zvi Griliches, 1992. "Output Measurement in the Service Sectors," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number gril92-1.
    5. Toivanen, Otto, 1997. "Economies of scale and scope in the Finnish non-life insurance industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 759-779, June.
    6. Joseph P. Hughes & Loretta J. Mester, 1998. "Bank Capitalization And Cost: Evidence Of Scale Economies In Risk Management And Signaling," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 80(2), pages 314-325, May.
    7. Amel, Dean & Barnes, Colleen & Panetta, Fabio & Salleo, Carmelo, 2004. "Consolidation and efficiency in the financial sector: A review of the international evidence," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(10), pages 2493-2519, October.
    8. Fotios Pasiouras & Emmanouil Sifodaskalakis & Constantin Zopounidis, 2011. "The cost efficiency of Greek cooperative banks: an application of two-stage data envelopment analysis," International Journal of Financial Services Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(1), pages 34-51.
    9. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Rhodes, E., 1978. "Measuring the efficiency of decision making units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 2(6), pages 429-444, November.
    10. Allen N. Berger & David B. Humphrey, 1992. "Measurement and Efficiency Issues in Commercial Banking," NBER Chapters, in: Output Measurement in the Service Sectors, pages 245-300, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Eling, Martin & Luhnen, Michael, 2010. "Efficiency in the international insurance industry: A cross-country comparison," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1497-1509, July.
    12. Rajiv D. Banker & Ram Natarajan, 2008. "Evaluating Contextual Variables Affecting Productivity Using Data Envelopment Analysis," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 56(1), pages 48-58, February.
    13. J. David Cummins & Jack VanDerhei, 1979. "A Note on the Relative Efficiency of Property-Liability Insurance Distribution Systems," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 10(2), pages 709-719, Autumn.
    14. Fenn, Paul & Vencappa, Dev & Diacon, Stephen & Klumpes, Paul & O'Brien, Chris, 2008. "Market structure and the efficiency of European insurance companies: A stochastic frontier analysis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 86-100, January.
    15. Yukiko Hirao & Tomoo Inoue, 2004. "On the Cost Structure of the Japanese Property‐Casualty Insurance Industry," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 71(3), pages 501-530, September.
    16. Frances A Katrishen & Nicos A Scordis, 1998. "Economies of Scale in Services: A study of Multinational Insurers," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 29(2), pages 305-323, June.
    17. R. D. Banker & A. Charnes & W. W. Cooper, 1984. "Some Models for Estimating Technical and Scale Inefficiencies in Data Envelopment Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(9), pages 1078-1092, September.
    18. Hanweck, Gerald A. & Hogan, Arthur M. B., 1996. "The structure of the property/casualty insurance industry," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 141-155, May.
    19. Cummins, J. David & Weiss, Mary A., 1993. "Measuring cost efficiency in the property-liability insurance industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2-3), pages 463-481, April.
    20. Laureen Regan, 1999. "Expense Ratios Across Insurance Distribution Systems: An Analysis By Line Of Business," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 2(2), pages 44-59, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. J. Cummins & Xiaoying Xie, 2013. "Efficiency, productivity, and scale economies in the U.S. property-liability insurance industry," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 141-164, April.
    2. Cummins, J. David & Weiss, Mary A. & Xie, Xiaoying & Zi, Hongmin, 2010. "Economies of scope in financial services: A DEA efficiency analysis of the US insurance industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1525-1539, July.
    3. Huang, Wei & Eling, Martin, 2013. "An efficiency comparison of the non-life insurance industry in the BRIC countries," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 226(3), pages 577-591.
    4. Leverty, J. Tyler & Grace, Martin F., 2010. "The robustness of output measures in property-liability insurance efficiency studies," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1510-1524, July.
    5. Amel, Dean & Barnes, Colleen & Panetta, Fabio & Salleo, Carmelo, 2004. "Consolidation and efficiency in the financial sector: A review of the international evidence," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(10), pages 2493-2519, October.
    6. Jarraya, Bilel & Bouri, Abdelfettah, 2012. "Efficiency concept and investigations in insurance industry: A survey," MPRA Paper 53544, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2013.
    7. Trigo Gamarra, Lucinda, 2007. "Single- versus multi-channel distribution strategies in the German life insurance market: A cost and profit efficiency analysis," Thuenen-Series of Applied Economic Theory 81, University of Rostock, Institute of Economics.
    8. Wanke, Peter & Barros, Carlos Pestana, 2016. "Efficiency drivers in Brazilian insurance: A two-stage DEA meta frontier-data mining approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 8-22.
    9. Eling, Martin & Jia, Ruo, 2018. "Business failure, efficiency, and volatility: Evidence from the European insurance industry," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 58-76.
    10. Jaap Bikker & Adelina Popescu, 2014. "Efficiency and competition in the Dutch non-life insurance industry: Effects of the 2006 health care reform," Working Papers 14-12, Utrecht School of Economics.
    11. Kaffash, Sepideh & Azizi, Roza & Huang, Ying & Zhu, Joe, 2020. "A survey of data envelopment analysis applications in the insurance industry 1993–2018," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 284(3), pages 801-813.
    12. J.A. Bikker & J. Gorter, 2008. "Performance of the Dutch non-life insurance industry: competition, efficiency and focus," Working Papers 08-01, Utrecht School of Economics.
    13. Natalya Zelenyuk & Valentin Zelenyuk, 2015. "Productivity Drivers of Efficiency in Banking: Importance of Model Specifications," CEPA Working Papers Series WP082015, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    14. G. Russo & W.H.J. Hassink, 2005. "The Part-Time Wage Penalty: a Career Perspective," Working Papers 01-01, Utrecht School of Economics.
    15. Natalya Zelenyuk & Valentin Zelenyuk, 2014. "Regional and Ownership Drivers of Bank Efficiency," CEPA Working Papers Series WP112014, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    16. Mahlberg, Bernhard & Url, Thomas, 2010. "Single Market effects on productivity in the German insurance industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1540-1548, July.
    17. Biener, Christian & Eling, Martin & Wirfs, Jan Hendrik, 2016. "The determinants of efficiency and productivity in the Swiss insurance industry," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 248(2), pages 703-714.
    18. Khan, Atiquzzafar & Noreen, Uzma, 2014. "Efficiency Measure of Insurance v/s Tak ful Firms Using DEA Approach: A Case of Pakistan," Islamic Economic Studies, The Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), vol. 22, pages 139-158.
    19. Jacob A. Bikker, 2017. "Competition and Scale Economy Effects of the Dutch 2006 Health-Care Insurance Reform," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 42(1), pages 53-78, January.
    20. Wanke, Peter & Barros, Carlos P. & Faria, João R., 2015. "Financial distress drivers in Brazilian banks: A dynamic slacks approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 240(1), pages 258-268.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ids:ijfsmg:v:5:y:2012:i:3:p:239-255. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sarah Parker (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalID=76 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.