The scope of GRF’s latest book “Microinsurance – An Innovative Tool for Risk and Disaster Management” is both to investigate the linkage between disaster risk reduction and Microinsurance and to address possible combinations of loans, savings and insurance schemes for low-income people to provide them with appropriate solutions for at least a partial risk reduction.
Life, Health & Disaster Insurance
The book provides an overview on the status and strategies of implementation in various risk sectors (life, health and natural disaster risks), highlighting existing methods, best practices and specific case studies of Microinsurance programmes and initiatives. Particular attention is placed on Microinsurance tools that are capable of reducing the damage caused by natural disasters and unexpected hazards.
Case Studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America
The publication contains fifteen papers which all focus – from different perspectives – on an integrated approach in risk and disaster management through Microinsurance. Case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America involving a broad variety of stakeholders, institutions, risks, methods, and business models, reveal the enormous potential of Microinsurance in particular in disaster management.
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Price (excl. packaging and postage) : USD 34.00
Testimonials
"The world's poor face a myriad of risks on a daily basis and microinsurance has emerged as a valuable tool which can provide a safety net which stops those affected by disasters from slipping further into poverty.
The Global Risk Forum has produced a fantastic publication which examines the role that insurance can play in disaster management with examples from Africa Asia and Latin America. As we face the challenges of climate change, this publication looks ahead to ways in which the development community will need to respond to protect those that are at greatest risk."
Richard Leftley, President & CEO of MicroEnsure LLC
"This book shows micro-insurance in all aspects. The inviting phase of divergence and discovery is clearly a thrill for all involved. The articles show what seems to be working, what needs to be done and which paths could promise a more secure future for many people.
Cost effectiveness is not yet at the centre, cost efficiency a remote issue for now; financial sustainability (risk transfer versus premium charged) and necessary scaling (risk return on investments) are issues to be addressed first.
All covered issues merit more thinking, more experimenting and cautious implementation. Some solutions will remain local.
In more mature markets insurance is about securing capital. Micro-insurance seems to be about securing emerging capital, stabilizing volatile future cash flows and inclusion of people. Reading this positive book is encouraging."
Frank Gosselink, independent director risk management, f.gosselink@gmail.com
"The book is an excellent collection of works related to micro insurance and experiences related to life, health, and disaster micro insurance. It articulates some of the challenges, particularly for disaster micro insurance, to make it affordable, viable, and sustainable. It does not offer solutions yet, but for practitioners in disaster micro insurance it is a very useful and comprehensive reference."
Pane Stojanovski, VP Model Development Operations, Risk Management Solutions, Inc.
“Microinsurance – An innovative tool for risk and disaster management” is the second book on the topic after the Microinsurance Compendium “Protecting the Poor”, so comparison is inevitable. Do we need a second book? We do, because it is a very different work and has more recent stories to tell. While the Compendium is an encyclopaedia that no one reads from cover to cover but everyone consults for anything, this new book is more like a collection of short stories, that illuminates the topic from a variety of angles. It is a book to be read from cover to cover, and it is both entertaining and enlightening to do so, not least because of the diversity and different origins of the contributions (some are from speeches given at the International Disaster and Risk Conference in Davos 2006, hence the title). Despite the many authors of the Compendium, its thorough editing results in a homogeneous reading experience; by contrast, the less uniform editing of “Microinsurance – An innovative tool for risk and disaster management” makes for refreshingly diverse reading. One thing all contributions have in common is an extensive list of references, and that by itself makes this book a valuable companion for any microinsurance practitioner.”
Peter Wrede, Aga Khan Foundation
"This book provides a thoughtful, in-depth analysis of the problems faced by microinsurance providers. It provides a summary of lessons learned, as well as clearly highlighting the significant and unique challenges faced by Microinsurance providers compared to those faced by normal insurance providers. Nevertheless, the book makes a clear argument for why Microinsurance is such an important risk-management tool for the poor, especially for those who have just made it out of the poverty trap and seek to avoid falling behind once again.
The book also advocates for education – of financial markets, insurance companies, and donors – as a strategy to achieve long-term sustainability and to increase credibility with reinsurers or alternative risk-transfer solutions."
Monika Ganser, Independent Risk Consultant
