The Punitive Damages Calculus: The Differential Incidence of State Punitive Damages Reforms

State punitive damages reforms have altered how courts award punitive damages. We model the decision to award punitive damages as a two‐step process involving the decision to award any punitive damages and the decision of what amount to award. Using samples of trial court verdicts from the Civil Justice Survey of State Courts, we find that punitive damages caps reduce the amount of damages awarded but do not affect whether they are initially awarded. Additionally, we find that maintaining lower evidentiary standards increases both the probability that punitive damages are awarded and the size of those awards.     

Learning and development opportunities as a tool for the retention of volunteers: a motivational perspective

The growing reliance on volunteers in Australia has heightened the need for non‐profit organisations to retain these valuable resources. However, the current literature on volunteer retention is limited. One potential way volunteers can be retained is by providing learning and development opportunities (LDOs). This study investigates the relationship between volunteer perceptions of LDOs, their motivations for volunteering, and retention. Analyses revealed significant main effects for LDOs and volunteer motivations on retention and several interactive effects demonstrating that LDOs can have differential effects on retention depending on the reasons for volunteering.     

Coherent Distortion Risk Measures and Higher-Order Stochastic Dominances

Abstract

We show that the only coherent distortion risk measure that is consistent with respect to 3-convex order and hence with stochastic dominance of order 3 is the expected value, thus generalizing previous results of Hurlimann and solving a problem posed by Yamai and Yoshiba.     

A Simple Model of Insurance Market Dynamics

Abstract

This paper constructs and studies a simple but realistic model of an insurance market. The model has a minimalist construction in the sense that the number of parameters defining it is strictly limited and the elimination of any one of them would destroy its realism. There are 11 essential parameters. Each of the parameters has a physical interpretation. Some determine competitive effects within the market, some barriers to entry, and so on. The effect of each on various aspects of the market is examined in the presence of simulated loss experience. The aspects of the market considered include stability of premium rates, profitability, and market concentration. Some of the parameters are capable of use as regulatory controls. Two parameters, in addition to the original 11, are explicit price controls. Despite its simplicity, the model displays considerably complex behavior. Some results are intuitive, but some are not. For this reason, regulatory controls need to be applied with great caution lest they induce perverse effects, possibly even the reverse of those intended. The effect of the parameters on market behavior is first studied in the absence of catastrophic events from the loss experience. Subsequently, the effect of a single such event is studied.     

The growth path of the dynamic Asian economies

The rapid and sustained growth of several Asian economies led researchers, policymakers, and decision‐makers in the world of international business to search for a plausible Asian model of growth. Numerous explanations of the dynamic growth in Asia have been put forward, including the ‘new structuralist’ approach proposed by Lin (2012). This paper examines the various explanations of what these countries did to unleash their growth potential. Industrial policy and market intervention are two such explanations. While the dynamic Asian economies did not flout the Washington Consensus, they adapted it in different ways. The policies that they followed under the Beijing Consensus allowed them to proactively follow pro‐business policies. They also exploited the concepts of economic statism or state capitalism, which became an integral part of what became known as the ‘Asia model’.     

Pricing a Heterogeneous Portfolio Based on a Demand Function

Abstract

Consider a portfolio containing number of risk classes. Each class has its own demand function, which determines the number of insureds in this class as a function of the premium. The insurer determines the premiums based on the number of insureds in each class. The “market” reacts by updating the number of the policyholders, then the insurer updates the premium, and so on. We show that this process has an equilibrium point, and then we characterize this point.