2020 prize jointly awarded for two doctoral theses: one on the behavioural economics of retirement planning and one on the role of information in risk mitigation
The 2020 Geneva Association Ernst Meyer Prize has been granted to Lu Li of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München for her thesis, ‘Essays on Information, Risk Preferences, and Risk Management’ and to Stefan Schelling of Ulm University for his thesis, ‘Behavioral Aspects of Product Design and Demand in Retirement Savings’. Since 1976 the Geneva Association Ernst Meyer Prize has recognised excellent doctoral theses that contribute to the study of risk and insurance economics.
Jad Ariss, Managing Director of The Geneva Association, said: “The factors that drive insurance customer decisions are varied and complex. The findings in these two outstanding theses will help insurers devise approaches and offerings that provide customers with enhanced protection and financial security. I would like to congratulate Lu Li and Stefan Schelling on their exceptional work in this area. We are thrilled to present them with the 2020 Geneva Association Ernst Meyer Prize.”
Professor Christophe Courbage, Editor-in-Chief of The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance and a member of the judging committee, said: “Lu Li’s dissertation, ‘Essays on Information, Risk Preferences, and Risk Management’, helps shed light on the interplay between technological uncertainty, causal mechanisms (e.g. effort versus luck) and mental health states, respectively, and prevention and insurance decisions. In ‘Behavioral Aspects of Product Design and Demand in Retirement Savings’, Stefan Schelling tackles a highly relevant topic for life insurers and their customers by proposing new models to better understand people’s decisions related to gathering pension income in their working years and spending that income when they retire.”
In addition to Professor Courbage (Geneva School of Business Administration, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland), the judging committee is comprised of Professor Petra Steinorth (University of Hamburg) and Professor Richard Watt (University of Canterbury, Christchurch).
The submission deadline for the 2021 prize is 15 January 2021.
