Insurance and Behavioral Economics:Improving Decisions in the Most Misunderstood Industry Howard C. Kunreuther University of Pennsylvania Mark V. Pauly University of Pennsylvania Stacey McMorrow The Urban Institute Contents Preface page vii Acknowledgments xi Part I. Contrasting Ideal and Real Worlds of Insurance 1. Purposes of This Book 3 2. An Introduction to Insurance in Practice and Theory 11 3. Anomalies and Rumors of Anomalies 32 4. Behavior Consistent with Benchmark Models 51 Part II. Understanding Consumer and Insurer Behavior 5. Real-World Complications 69 6. Why People Do or Do Not Demand Insurance 95 7. Demand Anomalies 113 8. Descriptive Models of Insurance Supply 145 9. Anomalies on the Supply Side 162 Part III. Th e Future of Insurance 10. Design Principles for Insurance 185 11. Strategies for Dealing with Insurance-Related Anomalies 208 12. Innovations in Insurance Markets through Multiyear Contracts 228 13. Publicly Provided Social Insurance 244 14. Conclusions – A Framework for Prescriptive Recommendations 267 Notes 281 Glossary 289 Bibliography 295 Author Index 309 Subject Index 312