Risk and the Insurance Business in History
June 11 @ 8:00 am - June 14 @ 5:00 pm
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Insurance history has enjoyed an increasing presence in general economic history conferences around the world. The 15th (Utrecht, 2009), 16th (Stellenbosch, 2012) and 17th (Kyoto, 2015) World Economic History Congresses (WEHC) each included sessions on the insurance business, some of which generated more specialised academic events. The insurance history session at the 16th WEHC, in particular, attracted a wide audience of international experts, while at the 17th WEHC, insurance history expanded its presence with two specialised sessions. All these meetings have resulted in numerous publications, either as research articles in international peer-reviewed journals, or as books produced by leading academic publishers to the highest standards.
The historical study of insurance as a private business has been complemented in recent years by another key line of research focused on social insurance. In this field, papers on workplace accident insurance, pensions, health insurance and unemployment insurance programs have gained in importance, particularly as current changes in such programs make it useful to understand their historical origins. In this sense, high quality research on insurance by a growing global network of scholars is increasing its presence in the agenda of world social and economic history.