IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ehs/wpaper/13030.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Compulsory public pension and the demand for life insurance: the case of Sweden

Author

Listed:
  • Lars Fredrik Andersson

    (Umeå University)

  • Liselotte Eriksson

    (Umeå University)

Abstract

"We employ cost-of-living surveys and business archives to examine the impact of compulsory pension on the demand for life insurance in Sweden from 1884 to 1914 - a period covering the implementation of the first public compulsory old-age pension reform and the take-off of industry life insurance. As predicted from the contemporary literature on crowding-out effects, we find that compulsory pension reduces the demand for life insurance. Our results also show that income was the major driver for life insurance, along with family structure and geographical localization, while dependence on a male breadwinner played a less significant role."

Suggested Citation

  • Lars Fredrik Andersson & Liselotte Eriksson, 2013. "Compulsory public pension and the demand for life insurance: the case of Sweden," Working Papers 13030, Economic History Society.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehs:wpaper:13030
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.ehs.org.uk/dotAsset/99f705e6-d6cb-4d33-a536-723ce71b4b71.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kimball, Miles S, 1990. "Precautionary Saving in the Small and in the Large," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 58(1), pages 53-73, January.
    2. Akerlof, George A & Dickens, William T, 1982. "The Economic Consequences of Cognitive Dissonance," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(3), pages 307-319, June.
    3. Emery, J.C. Herbert, 2010. ""Un-American" or unnecessary? America's rejection of compulsory government health insurance in the Progressive Era," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 68-81, January.
    4. Milton Friedman, 1957. "Introduction to "A Theory of the Consumption Function"," NBER Chapters, in: A Theory of the Consumption Function, pages 1-6, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Weaver, Carolyn L., 1983. "On the lack of a political market for compulsory old-age insurance prior to the great depression: Insights from economic theories of government," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 294-328, July.
    6. Victor R. Fuchs, 2018. "Public Support for National Health Insurance: The Roles of Attitudes and Beliefs," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Health Economics and Policy Selected Writings by Victor Fuchs, chapter 28, pages 311-337, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    7. Luigi Ventura & Joseph G. Eisenhauer, 2005. "The Relevance of Precautionary Saving," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 6(1), pages 23-35, February.
    8. Hubbard, R Glenn & Skinner, Jonathan & Zeldes, Stephen P, 1995. "Precautionary Saving and Social Insurance," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 103(2), pages 360-399, April.
    9. Feldstein, Martin S, 1982. "Social Security and Private Saving: Reply," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 90(3), pages 630-642, June.
    10. Martin Feldstein, 1980. "International Differences in Social Security and Saving," NBER Chapters, in: Econometric Studies in Public Finance, pages 225-244, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Yijia Lin & Martin F. Grace, 2007. "Household Life Cycle Protection: Life Insurance Holdings, Financial Vulnerability, and Portfolio Implications," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 74(1), pages 141-173, March.
    12. Feldstein, Martin S, 1974. "Social Security, Induced Retirement, and Aggregate Capital Accumulation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(5), pages 905-926, Sept./Oct.
    13. Mike Adams & Jonas Andersson & Lars-Fredrik Andersson & Magnus Lindmark, 2009. "Commercial banking, insurance and economic growth in Sweden between 1830 and 1998," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1), pages 21-38.
    14. Hayne E. Leland, 1968. "Saving and Uncertainty: The Precautionary Demand for Saving," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 82(3), pages 465-473.
    15. David M. Cutler & Jonathan Gruber, 1995. "Does Public Insurance Crowd Out Private Insurance?," NBER Working Papers 5082, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Martin Feldstein, 1982. "The Welfare Cost of Social Security's Impact on Private Saving," NBER Working Papers 0969, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Kantor, Shawn Everett & Fishback, Price V, 1996. "Precautionary Saving, Insurance, and the Origins of Workers' Compensation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 104(2), pages 419-442, April.
    18. Di Matteo, Livio & Herbert Emery, J. C., 2002. "Wealth and the demand for life insurance: evidence from Ontario, 1892," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 446-469, October.
    19. Milton Friedman, 1957. "A Theory of the Consumption Function," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number frie57-1.
    20. Krzysztof Ostaszewski, 2003. "Is Life Insurance a Human Capital Derivatives Business?," Journal of Insurance Issues, Western Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 26(1), pages 1-14.
    21. Lewis, Frank D, 1989. "Dependents and the Demand for Life Insurance," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(3), pages 452-467, June.
    22. Johnson, Paul, 1984. "Self-help versus state help: Old age pensions and personal savings in Great Britain, 1906-1937," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 329-350, October.
    23. Monica Keneley, 2001. "The evolution of the Australian life insurance industry," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(2), pages 145-170.
    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. Lars-Fredrik Andersson & Liselotte Eriksson, 2015. "The compulsory public pension and the demand for life insurance: the case of Sweden, 1884–1914," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 68(1), pages 244-263, February.
    2. Jonathan Gruber & Aaron Yelowitz, 1999. "Public Health Insurance and Private Savings," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 107(6), pages 1249-1274, December.
    3. Essig, Lothar, 2005. "Precautionary saving and old-age provisions : do subjective saving motives measures work?," Papers 05-22, Sonderforschungsbreich 504.
    4. Hubbard, R. Glenn & Skinner, Jonathan & Zeldes, Stephen P., 1994. "The importance of precautionary motives in explaining individual and aggregate saving," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 59-125, June.
    5. Luc Arrondel & Hector Calvo Pardo, 2008. "Les Français sont-ils prudents ? Patrimoine et risque sur les revenus des ménages," Working Papers halshs-00585994, HAL.
    6. Rodgers, Luke P., 2020. "The impact of paid family leave on household savings," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    7. Lugilde, Alba & Bande, Roberto & Riveiro, Dolores, 2017. "Precautionary Saving: a review of the theory and the evidence," MPRA Paper 77511, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Feldstein, Martin & Liebman, Jeffrey B., 2002. "Social security," Handbook of Public Economics, in: A. J. Auerbach & M. Feldstein (ed.), Handbook of Public Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 32, pages 2245-2324, Elsevier.
    9. C. Lee, 1998. "Life Cycle Savings in the United States, 1900-1990," CPE working papers 0014, University of Chicago - Centre for Population Economics.
    10. Miao, Jianjun & Wang, Neng, 2007. "Investment, consumption, and hedging under incomplete markets," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(3), pages 608-642, December.
    11. Alejandro Drexler & Eduardo Engel & Rodrigo O. Valdés, 2001. "El cobre y estrategia fiscal óptima para Chile," Central Banking, Analysis, and Economic Policies Book Series, in: Felipe Morandé & Rodrigo Vergara & Norman Loayza (Series Editor) & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel (Series Edit (ed.),Análisis Empírico del Ahorro en Chile, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 9, pages 263-280, Central Bank of Chile.
    12. Chou, Shin-Yi & Liu, Jin-Tan & Hammitt, James K., 2003. "National Health Insurance and precautionary saving: evidence from Taiwan," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(9-10), pages 1873-1894, September.
    13. Ghosh, Atish R. & Ostry, Jonathan D., 1997. "Macroeconomic uncertainty, precautionary saving, and the current account," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 121-139, September.
    14. Chen, Kevin Z. & D. Meilke, Karl & Turvey, Calum, 1999. "Income risk and farm consumption behavior," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 173-183, March.
    15. repec:dpr:wpaper:0905 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. repec:ptu:bdpart:r201610 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Roberto Bande & Dolores Riveiro, 2013. "Private Saving Rates and Macroeconomic Uncertainty: Evidence from Spanish Regional Data," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 44(3), pages 323-349.
    18. El Mekkaoui de Freitas, Najat & Oliveira Martins, Joaquim, 2014. "Health, pension benefits and longevity: How they affect household savings?," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 3(C), pages 21-28.
    19. He, Rong & Li, Heqing & Lian, Zeng & Zheng, Jie, 2020. "The effect of culture on consumption: A behavioral approach," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    20. Tomasz Zalega, 2016. "Incomes and Savings of Polish Seniors in View of Research Outcomes (Poziom dochodow i oszczêdnosci osob starszych w Polsce w swietle wynikow badan)," Problemy Zarzadzania, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, vol. 14(59), pages 135-155.
    21. Samuel Wills, 2015. "Seven Principles for Managing Resource Wealth," Economics Series Working Papers OxCarre Research Paper 15, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    22. Baiardi, Donatella & Manera, Matteo & Menegatti, Mario, 2013. "Consumption and precautionary saving: An empirical analysis under both financial and environmental risks," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 157-166.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Life insurance; Old-age pension; Household; Crowding-out; Sweden;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N00 - Economic History - - General - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:ehs:wpaper:13030. 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: Chair Public Engagement Committe (currently David Higgins - Newcastle) (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ehsukea.html .

    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.