The importance of the choice of test for finding evidence of asymmetric information

AbstractWe put one of the predictions of adverse-selection models to the test, using data from the Danish automobile insurance market: that there is a positive correlation between claims risk and insurance coverage. We can find a statistically significant insurance coverage--risk correlation when coverage is expressed relative to the insurance premium, but not when it is expressed in monetary terms.</jats:p

Rational planning and politicians' attitudes to spending and reform: replication and extension of a survey experiment

The rational planning cycle of formulating strategic goals and using performance information to assess implementation is assumed to assist decision-making by politicians. Empirical evidence for this assumption is, however, scarce. Our study replicates Nielsen and Baekgaard’s (2015) experiment on the relation between performance information and politicians’ attitudes to spending and reform and extends this experiment by investigating the role of strategic goals. Based on a randomized survey experiment with 1.484 Flemish city councilors and an analysis of 225 municipal strategic plans, we found that information on low and high performance as well as strategic goals directly impact decision-making by politicians

A novel approach to probe host-pathogen interactions of bovine digital dermatitis, a model of a complex polymicrobial infection

Background: Polymicrobial infections represent a great challenge for the clarification of disease etiology and the development of comprehensive diagnostic or therapeutic tools, particularly for fastidious and difficult-to-cultivate bacteria. Using bovine digital dermatitis (DD) as a disease model, we introduce a novel strategy to study the pathogenesis of complex infections. Results: The strategy combines meta-transcriptomics with high-density peptide-microarray technology to screen for in vivo-expressed microbial genes and the host antibody response at the site of infection. Bacterial expression patterns supported the assumption that treponemes were the major DD pathogens but also indicated the active involvement of other phyla (primarily Bacteroidetes). Bacterial genes involved in chemotaxis, flagellar synthesis and protection against oxidative and acidic stress were among the major factors defining the disease. Conclusions: The extraordinary diversity observed in bacterial expression, antigens and host antibody responses between individual cows pointed toward microbial variability as a hallmark of DD. Persistence of infection and DD reinfection in the same individual is common; thus, high microbial diversity may undermine the host's capacity to mount an efficient immune response and maintain immunological memory towards DD. The common antigenic markers identified here using a high-density peptide microarray address this issue and may be useful for future preventive measures against DD.Fil: Marcatili, Paolo. Technical University of Denmark; DinamarcaFil: Nielsen, Martin W.. Technical University of Denmark; DinamarcaFil: Sicheritz Ponten, Thomas. Technical University of Denmark; DinamarcaFil: Jensen, Tim K.. Technical University of Denmark; DinamarcaFil: Schafer Nielsen, Claus. Schafer-N ApS; DinamarcaFil: Boye, Mette. Hospital of Southern Jutland; DinamarcaFil: Nielsen, Morten. Technical University of Denmark; Dinamarca. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ; ArgentinaFil: Klitgaard, Kirstine. Technical University of Denmark; Dinamarc

Asymmetric information, self-selection and pricing of insurance contracts: the simple no-claims case

This paper presents an optional bonus-malus contract based on a pri-ori risk classification of the underlying insurance contract. By inducing self-selection, the purchase of the bonus-malus contract can be used as a screening device. This gives an even better pricing performance than both an experience rating scheme and a classical no-claims bonus system. An application to the Danish automobile insurance market is considered

Die heile Welt in der Werbung – Stereotype als Bestandteil von Werbestil

Advertising is an area that has to rely heavily on reduced and simplified message content due to its often very short perception time or its high reception speed (cf. Kroeber-Riel et al. 2009). Therefore, advertising is a fertile field for investigating stereotypes whose reduced form of presentation serves a quicker orientation in an increasingly complex media society with stimulus overload (cf. Müller/Gelbrich 2014a). In this article, the principle of the “unspoiled world”, “Die heile Welt”, in advertising (cf. Thomsen 1998; Schoenen 2008; Siegert/Brecheis 2010) as a stereotype is identified and discussed. This particular advertising style has previously only been mentioned sporadically in literature. Therefore, in this article different case studies from German advertising and their scholarly thematisation (cf. e. g. Moritz 1997; Bohnsack 2003) are discussed from different perspectives. The specific stereotype advertising phenomenon of “heile Welt” is used to support, develop and differentiate different conceptualisations of advertising style

"Wir laden Sie ein!" - "Jetzt anmelden!" Zur Spannweite von Instruktionen in Werbebriefen

Instructive texts are an inclusive term for a wide range of action initiating texts, i.e. texts where the action is being initiated through the text (e.g. in a sales letter, Nielsen 2003a: 66), and action commanding texts, i.e. texts where an action which the receiver wanted to execute anyway is being instructed (e.g. instructions, Reiß 1983: 17). Since sales letters are action-initiating and thus as a text genre constituting feature contain directive speech acts (Searle 1969, 1976, Wagner 2001, Nielsen 2006), they are per definition face-threatening (Brown/ Levinson 1978, Nielsen 2006). The communication configuration is asymmetric and the power relationship skewed: On the one hand, the sender wants something from the receiver although not entitled to claim that because of the power relations. On the other hand, the action that the receiver is requested to do might very well be in the interest of the receiver. On that background it seems natural that there is a wide range in the realization of instructions in sales letters: from the euphemistic „We invite you!“ to the completely unhidden, almost rude „Register now!“ This article sets out to describe and explore this range on the basis of authentic Danish and German sales letters and to make an attempt at a first tentative classification of politeness strategies that soften the face-threatening speech acts of those instructions