An incremental loss ratio method using prior information on calendar year effects.

In a run-off triangle external factors can have a similar influence on all incremental losses of the same calendar year. This can distort the triangle such that reserving methods like chain ladder or the loss ratio method do not work properly. A very recent example of such an external factor is the Covid-19 pandemic. In many countries, the insurance industry is in the process of establishing market knowledge about the impact of the pandemic on premiums and losses. We extend the additive claims reserving model to allow for calendar year effects and develop a variant of the incremental loss ratio method (also known as the additive method) that can make use of such market knowledge. We derive formulas for the mean squared error of prediction and provide a detailed numerical example. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13385-022-00315-3.

Making sense of the crisis: how religion shapes the attribution of meaning during the corona pandemic.

In times of existential crisis, such as the Corona pandemic, people may turn to religious traditions that help them make new sense of the depressing situation. While recent studies have shown that during the Corona pandemic, the frequency of prayer and church attendance increased in several countries, we know little about whether and how religious interpretations of the current crisis occur. Building on Crystal Park's Meaning Making Model, the article examines whether individual religiosity, religious affiliation, and the experience of a SARS-CoV­2 infection influence religious interpretations of the Corona pandemic. Our results show that religiosity is strongly associated with the idea of a benevolent God and weakly associated with the concept of a punishing God. Members of specific religious groups differed significantly in their religious interpretation of the Corona pandemic. Finally, we found that the experience of a SARS-CoV­2 infection was associated with doubts about the power of God.

Making sense of the crisis: how religion shapes the attribution of meaning during the corona pandemic Religiöse Sinngebung in der Krise: Wie Religion die Interpretation der Corona-Pandemie prägt

In times of existential crisis, such as the Corona pandemic, people may turn to religious traditions that help them make new sense of the depressing situation. While recent studies have shown that during the Corona pandemic, the frequency of prayer and church attendance increased in several countries, we know little about whether and how religious interpretations of the current crisis occur. Building on Crystal Park’s Meaning Making Model, the article examines whether individual religiosity, religious affiliation, and the experience of a SARS-CoV‑2 infection influence religious interpretations of the Corona pandemic. Our results show that religiosity is strongly associated with the idea of a benevolent God and weakly associated with the concept of a punishing God. Members of specific religious groups differed significantly in their religious interpretation of the Corona pandemic. Finally, we found that the experience of a SARS-CoV‑2 infection was associated with doubts about the power of God.