The papers from the 28th UK Insurance Economists' Conference were:

Young Drivers: Addressing the Problems of High Premiums
The ABI believes that more of the resources spent on road safety should be targeted on advising and helping young drivers to improve their road awareness and approach to driving.
Alex Roy and Paul Tew (Association of British Insurers)

Underwriting Cycles and the Role of Internal and External Capital
Many UK property-liability insurance companies are members of larger conglomerate groups and so have access to internal as well as external capital markets. The paper explores the impact of available external and internal capital on gross insurance prices and the underwriting cycle.
Michael Adams (University of Swansea) and Stephen Diacon (University of Nottingham)

Market Structure and the Efficiency of European Insurance Companies
The paper examines the impact of competition on the cost and revenue efficiency of insurance companies operating locally in the various European insurance markets.
Paul Fenn and Dev Vencappa (University of Nottingham)

Privatisation of Insurance Markets in New European Union Countries
The insurance markets in the eight new members of the European Union are in the process of being liberalised. This analysis determines the extent to which government actions have promoted or hindered this liberalisation.
James Heywood (Axco)

Mortality-Dependent Financial Risk Measures
The paper uses a two-factor stochastic mortality model to estimate financial risk measures for four illustrative types of mortality-dependent financial position, with results calibrated on data provided by the UK Government Actuary's Department.
Kevin Dowd (University of Nottingham), Andrew Cairns (Heriot-Watt University) and David Blake (City University)

Managing Demographic Risk in Life Insurance Companies
The impact of demographic risk on annuity and life insurance liabilities creates natural hedging opportunities. The paper shows that this hedging is only optimal if equity is scarce; other hedging can destroy shareholder value.
Helmut Gründl, Thomas Post and Roman Schulze (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

Compulsory Pensions - the Last Refuge of a Marketing Scoundrel?
The paper reviews the implications of the Turner Review for the UK Economy and the financial services industry, with the objective of providing a stimulus for more detailed discussion.
Malcolm Oliver (Oliver-Small Partnership)

Angst about Annuities: An Exploration of Individuals' Reactions
The paper explores how individuals evaluate the attractiveness of defined contribution pensions saving and the pattern of income that such schemes generate.
Kevin Keasey, Barbara Summers, Darren Duxbury and Robert Hudson (University of Leeds)

Consumption Efficiency and Product Differentiation in Financial Services
The paper uses recently available data on product prices and characteristics from the Financial Services Authority to highlight how it is possible to identify important drivers of value and also identify financial services products that are optimally differentiated.
Damian Ward (University of Bradford)

A copy of all the papers from the 2006 Conference can be obtained from:
Jennifer Howis
CRIS
Nottingham University Business School
Jubilee Campus
Wollaton Road
NOTTINGHAM
NG8 1BB

Please enclose a cheque for £50 payable to"The University of Nottingham"