Will outsourcing be a winner or loser from the global crisis? This sector has been a major beneficiary of the boom in business services trade since the mid-1990s, coinciding with the rise of emerging market economies. This growth survived – indeed was arguably a beneficiary of – the last...

The property market has been hit hard by the current recession, and impacts of the decline have seen deflation reach new levels. Many assume that recovery is around the corner – but what will happen if prices continue to fall? In this fourth instalment of our international series of...

The ageing population and its impact on financial services and insurance was the subject of a recent Thinkpiece by Jane Vass of Age Concern. However what about the impact of rising migration that also seems likely for Europe in the coming decades? How important will immigration be in picking up...

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...