There are many cases where poor information or human psychology can impede effective decision-making.For example, one theory in behavioural economics warns that people taking decisions are inclined to drawincorrect mental references based on what they know. “Nudge theory” is a potential...

CII Introduction: The UK insurance sector lies at a critical juncture in its long and eventful history. On the one hand, insurers are feeling the recessionary pinch in the form of a capital squeeze and a hardening market, but they can still benefit from escaping the contagion in the global...

CII Introduction: the insurance industry provides a long-standing and often forgotten role of helping people and businesses do things without the fear of catastrophic loss should something go wrong. How can this be achieved in a sustainable manner? Does the industry use the most sophisticated...

CII Introduction: At the beginning of the new millennium the issue of pandemics was a hot topic. With outbreaks in the Far East of SARS and then avian flu the media was awash with debate on what would happen if something similar hit the UK and questions around how well prepared we are. As we...

CII Introduction: last month’s Mumbai terrorist attacks were a reminder that the international terrorist threat remains real and varied. While the security services work to prevent further atrocities, the corporate world and the insurance industry can also help by demonstrating that business...

CII Introduction: the importance of the insurance industry to everyday life in the UK cannot be better illustrated by the plight facing reformed offenders who have difficulty accessing it. In this latest CII thinkpiece, Chris Bath of the charity UNLOCK, which represents reformed offenders argues...

CII Introduction: Underinsurance in the UK continues to be a growing problem, with people’s inaction resulting in disastrous consequences for both individuals and society as a whole. One of the challenges is that while people may like the idea of insurance, few make the time to truly...

CII Introduction: Our previous thinkpiece by Mick McAteer described how the transfer of risk from the state to the individual is failing. Protection is one area where this problem persists: state income support is rolling back and private protection insurance is simply not alleviating the gap,...

CII Introduction: Reform to the personal injury compensation system has been a hotly debated topic that has affected insurance, legal, and medical practitioners as much as it has the public. This debate has reached a head in the last year following the Government’s controversial consultation...

The Government’s feasibility study into a national financial advice service was long awaited by both industry and consumer groups alike. However there are some practical issues still outstanding as the recommendations are taken forward as pathfinder projects over the next year. In this...