Basis Risk Demand Inelasticity
Unsubsidized insurance take-up is low (below 15%), but demand increases significantly to 60.2% when price subsidies reach 75%, demonstrating that spatial basis risk severely dampens demand at actuarially fair prices.
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Unsubsidized insurance take-up is low (below 15%), but demand increases significantly to 60.2% when price subsidies reach 75%, demonstrating that spatial basis risk severely dampens demand at actuarially fair prices.
36 out of 120 Kebeles (30%) were excluded because dominant risks were non-drought perils (frost and flooding) lacking indices, and another 35 Kebeles were dropped due to incomplete historical station rainfall records required for reinsurance pricing.
Assigning an insurance contract to a distant rainfall station reduced mean willingness to pay by 29.45 Rupees (p < 0.01), cutting baseline policy valuation (68.4 Rupees) roughly in half.
Risk aversion is negatively correlated with stated willingness to pay (p < 0.05) and shows no positive effect on actual uptake (marginal effect = -0.00285, p > 0.10), confirming theoretical models where basis risk reverses standard expected utility predictions.
Assigning an insurance policy to a distant weather station (introducing substantial basis risk) reduced farmer willingness-to-pay by Rs. 29.45 (p < 0.01), effectively halving consumer valuation from the baseline average bid of Rs. 68.40 despite identical actuarial expected payouts.