Research published recently suggests that the cost of treating cancer in the US has doubled over the last 20 years. This surprised me - I would have expected a much greater increase. The research finds that the increased costs arise mainly from an increase...
The literature covering employee choice in relation to defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pension schemes is substantial. There are a number of papers looking at the factors influencing employee choice between DB and DC pension schemes, whether to join...
Whilst at the International Congress of Actuaries, I took the opportunity to visit the University of Cape Town. This has a large and successful actuarial science program, and a lot of very bright students (and staff!). I spent my time at the university...
President Obama's proposal to reduce the size of banks and split off the risky operations will, if implemented, reduce the risk of future systemic banking crises. However, it will still leave a number of problems in place. It is intended to cut the number...
It seems that the nationalised UK banks are due to be broken up in response to a perceived lack of competition. This is a sensible move, and could also have a further benefit: it could reduce the number of financial organisations that are "too big to...
It is reported today that the highest earning employees of US banks in receipt of government aid will have their salaries slashed and remaining remuneration paid in stock that must be held for years. These are both ways in which the significant agency...
