Despite the presence of many and diverse sellers of insurance in most markets, insurance prices in some markets remain subject to regulation by state governments. Insurance rate regulation has a long and storied history in this country and the reasons for its continued existence are subject to...

This paper examines consumer protection regulation in insurance markets and discusses how regulation could be made more efficient and robust. The paper argues that regulatory costs could be lowered and effectiveness enhanced by better targeting regulations to address market failures. Regulations...

Research seeking to understand financial literacy and to enhance it through training or education is receiving greater attention and emphasis from policymakers. Unfortunately, relatively little of this research has focused on insurance products and consumers. This policy brief reviews what is...

In the recent debate over the appropriate governmental level at which to regulate insurance markets, opponents of a new federal role often raise concerns about the adequacy of consumer protection if regulation is removed from the states. This paper analyzes the need for market conduct regulation...

Between 1850 and 1920, most U.S. states enacted laws expanding the rights of married women to own and control their separate property and to own their market earnings. The economic approach to property rights implies that as married women gain economic rights, the incentive to invest in girls’...

This article argues that different insurance marketing organizations arise as a means to minimize the costs of correctly matching policyholder risks with insurance coverage. When policymakers are easily sorted without sales agent participation in screening, exclusive dealing will be the...

The paper focuses on the effects of claimant behavior, especially fraudulent claiming, in determining liability insurance costs. The theoretical perspective underlying the analysis is that the ease of filing a claim and the net potential payoff affect individuals' incentives to file claims....

Rate regulations in insurance markets often impose cross-subsidies in insurance premiums from low-risk consumers to high-risk consumers. This paper develops the hypothesis that premium cross-subsidies affect risk taking by insurance consumers, and tests this hypothesis by examining the marginal...