Description: This paper is based on work the authors did for the Committee on Retirement Systems Research of the Society of Actuaries. The authors' task was to perform data analysis for that Committee in support of a study of the effects of the Safest Annuity Rule. The Committee's conclusions will be released in a separate report. This paper describes their overall study only to put the authors' own work in context. The real purpose of this paper is to discuss the data analysis skills and principles which were applied in this project, and to argue that these same skills and principles should be part of an actuarial student's education. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 1998 Vol. 1.

Description: One of the most important influences on the development of an insurance market and on the development of professions, such as the actuarial profession, is the nature of regulation. This paper looks at four main economic models of regulation: 1. Market socialism, 2. Freedom with publicity, 3. Public interest, and 4. Public choice theory. The role of profession and other sophisticated products of the market order are also analysed.