Can measured risk attitudes and associated structural models predict insurance demand? In an experiment (n = 1,730), we elicit measures of utility curvature, probability weighting, loss aversion, and preference for certainty and use them to parameterize seventeen common structural models (e.g.,...

We analyze insurance demand experiments conducted in two different settings: in-person at a university laboratory and online using Amazon's Mechanical Turk crowdworking platform ("MTurk"). Subject demographics differ significantly across the samples, but average insurance demand is similar....

Probability weighting is often used to explain insurance choices that conflict with expected utility (EU) preferences. We derive new theoretical results on the effects of probability weighting in the context of common insurance demand puzzles. We identify decreasing relative overweighting (DRO)...

Economists, regulators, and consumer protection agencies have highlighted the welfare losses for consumers who purchase high-load insurance against modest stakes risks. Mandatory information disclosure is a potentially attractive public policy tool that might improve consumers' choices, but has...

We examine the ability of insurers to influence the coverage limit decisions of 180,000 households in the National Flood Insurance Program. In this program, private insurers sell identical flood contracts at identical rates and bear no risk of paying claims. About 12% of new policyholders...

We examine small business financing outcomes approximately one year after Hurricane Harvey. Our data include the credit reports of 8,219 businesses and a detailed survey of 273 businesses in the affected area. We find that Harvey-related flooding increased credit delinquencies, especially...

We examine whether accounting rules can influence gains trading activities in financial institutions.Gains trading occurs when managers strategically sell invested assets to affect earnings.We focus on the U.S. insurance industry, where Life insurers are subject to a rule that requiresthem to...